Perkins outlasts Vermilion in 5 sets

PERKINS TWP. — Ferrell Coleman winning the final point of the match only felt right. Earlier in the fifth set, she and Perkins were on the wrong side of a 50-50 call that ultimately was ruled a lift on Coleman, giving Vermilion the point. The Pirates fell behind, but kept fighting. Winning eight of the last nine points of the match — including Coleman's kill for the victory — Perkins topped the Sailors, 18-25, 25-14, 25-15, 20-25, 15-10 in nonconference volleyball action Tuesday night. "It felt really nice just because of everything we've gone through and lost," Coleman said. "We just came together as a team. Instead of it being individuals, we played as a team." After the violation was whistled on Coleman, the Pirates (3-9) fell behind 7-3 after a Delaney Russell ace for Vermilion (6-8). Perkins kept clawing back, but still trailed 9-7 following a kill by Erin Ellis for the Sailors. That's when the Pirates took over, thanks in part to Vermilion errors. Three straight errors forced a Sailors timeout. Even after the break, two more errors by Vermilion gave Perkins a 12-9 lead. A hitting error by the Pirates only briefly stopped the momentum before Braelyn Davis tallied a kill for Perkins. The last timeout by Vermilion didn't cool off the Pirates, either ,as a hitting error by the Sailors and Coleman's 10th kill of the night sealed the win for Perkins. "It felt good and it gives her the confidence," Perkins coach Sam Wentz said. "We didn't agree with that call, but the call isn't going to change so you just have to respond. The thing we talked about was our response — our physical response — but also our mental response. What do you do with things out of your control and how do you take them into your control? "She was able to control that in the moment." Perkins was able to overcome calls that didn't go its way. There was one later in the set where it looked like the Pirates had an ace, but the Sailors recovered, got the ball over and the ball fell just inside the service line. It was ruled out by the line judge, but overruled by the head official. "Especially with calls I've never even heard of before, it's really easy to get wrapped up in the moment," Wentz said. "At the end of the day, the girls are why we're here. You have to put those aside and we have to keep working hard. We told them we have to win the small points to five. We said that against Sandusky and we said that tonight. When you play mini-games and take care of business in smaller chunks, the goal doesn't seem so daunting." It is the first five-set win this season for Perkins. The Pirates were 1-3 in five-set play last year, including their tournament loss to Clear Fork. "We talk about not losing our voice and we really have to stay mentally tough," Wentz said. "Five sets are fun, but they're also stressful. They feel better than three-set wins sometimes because you really have to grind it out." Meanwhile, Vermilion fell to 1-3 in five-set matches this season. The Sailors got past Bellevue in five sets a week ago, but came up short again while going the distance. "Perkins is resilient," Vermilion coach Maddie Nader said. "They played awesome defense and were swinging on everything. They played an awesome match. It's the resiliency on our side that was kind of lacking." It looked like Perkins was going to run away with things after winning Sets 2 and 3. In Set 3, it was tied at 12 when Avery Baker — playing in just her second match back — seized the chance to gain some momentum. She smacked a kill to give Perkins the lead it wouldn't relinquish. Later while serving, she tallied three aces and another kill as the Pirates went up 23-13. A kill by Coleman put Perkins up 2-1. Baker finished with 19 digs, eight aces, and five kills. "We were not planning on playing six rotations," said Wentz in regard to Baker being back in the lineup. "We were just trying to ease her back in and build that confidence back up. She is somebody that has been ready to go since the moment she got injured. She wants this more than anything, especially being her senior year. She responds well to pressure." Vermilion fought back and took Set 4 to extend the match. Perkins drew as close as 20-18, but Vermilion finished strong as a kill by Erin Ellis knotted the match at two sets apiece. "The fourth set was awesome," Nader said. "They were playing as a team. We always say 'we over me.' We saw that after dropping those two sets." Ellis registered 24 assists on the night, passing the 1,000 career assists mark in Set 4. Bartlome had 17 digs, nine kills and six aces while Peyton Logsdon tallied 13 digs, seven kills and five aces. Also for Vermilion, Russell had 14 digs and five aces, Alyssa Woodward nabbed 13 digs and Sophie Habermehl lined six kills. "Five sets is really shaky," Nader said. "I feel like it's all about the team that gets the big run. It's not necessarily in the beginning. Perkins is great. They didn't give up." Coleman had four blocks, Davie contributed 22 assists and 17 digs and Ava Quillen put down nine kills. Olivia Hartung led the defense with 24 digs and Carly Grathwol added 10. "We talk about taking care of the game early and stepping on the gas pedal, believe it or not," Wentz said. "When you can step on the gas and you don't let up, you have momentum on your side. Volleyball is all about momentum."