Huron's season ends with regional loss to Coldwater

ONTARIO — It seemed like Coldwater had hitters everywhere. The Cavaliers, ranked No. 1 in the state in Division V, turned back every Huron threat Wednesday at the O-rena to advance to a regional final. Coldwater swept Huron 25-16, 29-27, 25-17 to snap the Tigers' winning streak at 16 straight. Huron finished the season with a 22-4 record and was swept for the first time. Its last loss came nearly two months ago, on Sept. 12. "They're a fine team, but it's a team I think we match up with pretty decent," said Huron coach Don Wood of Coldwater. "I saw some things tonight I haven't seen in a very long time out of us — some of it forced by Coldwater and some of it unforced, and that's what I'm concerned about." Huron junior middle blocker Mya Smith had a huge night with 15 kills and four blocks, but no other Tiger had more than five kills. "Mya showed up big," Wood said. "Against that team? Early on, a couple silly things, then she took over at the net and got the better of them." Senior Paige Johnson finished her Tiger careers with five kills and Riley Harkelroad had four kills. "I told (Johnson's) club coach at the beginning of the year that 'I want to see this girl have a little 'dog' in her.' She played with some dog today," Wood said. "She swung hard and went out swinging, so to speak. I was proud of her for that." Huron started slow and fell behind 7-2 when Wood called his first timeout of the night. The Tigers rallied and pulled to within 15-12 on a Lizzie Perin kill, but Coldwater used a 7-1 run to take control. The Cavaliers finished the set on a Huron error. Huron got off to a fast start in the second set, grabbing a 5-1 lead on a Smith block. Coldwater bounced back to take a 15-12 lead on an ace by Campbell Etzler, the daughter of Coldwater head coach Nikki Etzler. A kill by 6-foot senior Paige Ontrop gave the Cavs a 24-19 lead before Huron made its last stand. After two Coldwater errors, Smith had two blocks and a kill — two of the points were kept alive on digs by Adelyn Van Sickle — to tie the set at 24. A Jenna Cox ace gave Huron a 25-24 lead before Coldwater tied it. Another Smith kill gave Huron a 26-25 edge, but a net serve by the Tigers spoiled their chance to win the set. A Smith kill tied it at 27-27 before the Cavs finished it with a Harlow Heyne kill and a block. "They made one more play than us," Wood said. "That's how I expected the whole night." The third set was all Coldwater. The Cavs rattled off five straight points to take control 12-4 and force Huron's final timeout of the match. A kill by Etzler finished the set and match. Coldwater improved to 22-4 and will play undefeated Marion Pleasant on Saturday for a spot in the final four. Senior Jenna Cox was 15-for-15 serving and Avery Bork was 11-11. Reece Hotz had 25 assists and added 15 digs. Harkelroad had 13 digs and Van Sickle finished with 12 digs. In the end, too many errors led Huron's downfall. "We've been doing a really nice job of limiting errors, but we had more errors than the last two or three matches combined," Wood said. It was the last match for seniors Johnson, Cox and Rylie Dehn. "Our three seniors have grown so much since they've been in high school," Wood said. "I appreciate the leadership they provided. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed in how we played tonight, but I'm proud of the kids for the season they had. They had a great season; it was a meat-grinder."