Reese dances way to D3 title in five-set classic with SMCC

<p>Maybe it wasn’t about winning a state championship.</p> <p>The Reese volleyball team just didn’t want the party to end.</p> <p>Down two sets to two-time defending D3 champs SMCC in Saturday’s state final, the Rockets just kept having the time of their lives.</p> <p>There was line dancing, singing, shadow boxing, sprint races, and even a little volleyball mixed in.</p> <p><img class="size-medium wp-image-166315 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/11/DSC_0728-300x239.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="239" />Whatever the recipe was, it led to the Rockets pulling off one of the greatest comebacks in MHSAA history.</p> <p>The never-shaken Reese squad rallied to top SMCC 18-25, 19-25, 25-15, 25-21, 16-14 in the match of the weekend at Kellogg Arena.</p> <p>“It was everything I think people want to see when they come to a state championship game. We definitely were not ourselves at the beginning and we loosened up in that third set and we just never looked back,” Reese coach Angie Compton said of the dramatic victory. “It wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t perfect, and it wasn’t without our, ‘Oh no, are we going to do this?’ moments, but they are just a great group of girls that got the job done.”</p> <p>SMCC looked like it was well on its way to a third consecutive championship after the first two sets, as the young Kestrels played technically sound and spread out their attack effectively.</p> <p>But, even as SMCC kept piling up the points, Reese just kept smiling and dancing.</p> <p>“You have to fake it until you make it” Reese senior setter <strong>Aydan Dalak</strong> said. “You have to fake it until you make it, and make it look like you’re good.” </p> <p>In the third, Reese started to look legitimately good. The Rockets scored the first three points of the set and never looked back. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="172182" first="Maddi" last="Osantowski"] </strong>began to heat up, racking up nine kills to get Reese on the board.</p> <p>With the third set won, Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer” hit the speakers before the fourth set, almost like fuel to Reese’s fire.</p> <p>The Rockets started the fourth set with a 4-0 run and used that to eventually hold off SMCC for a 25-21 victory to force a fifth set as Kellogg Arena buzzed with excitement.</p> <p>“Eye of the Tiger” was the next song on the party list between the fourth and fifth set. The Reese team took to shadow boxing in the break, showing they were ready for the final round.</p> <p>“We definitely care. Especially in those moments, we care the most. When we are loosening ourselves up…when we are dancing and getting loose, we know that’s how we play better,” Compton said. “I know that looks weird, but it’s very important to our style of play.”</p> [caption id="attachment_166316" align="alignright" width="209"]<img class="wp-image-166316 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/11/DSC_0491-209x300.jpg" alt="" width="209" height="300" /> [player_tooltip player_id="156292" first="Jessica" last="Costlow"][/caption] <p>Reese scored the first five points of the final set and looked like it was going to pull away, but SMCC showed its championship grit by answered with five straight points of its own to even things at 5-5.</p> <p>“All my girls have grit, that’s for sure. We are a very young team,” SMCC coach Cassandra Hunt said of her squad that relies on five underclassmen. “The fact that we even make it here is an amazing feat on a season. I think it just shows that there is so much more to come in every year that we have after this.”</p> <p>With the set tied 13-13, the Rockets would get match point at 14-13, but the Kestrels fought them off once.</p> <p>When Osantowski had a kill to put Reese up 15-14, the Kestrels couldn’t fight off another championship point. Osantowski and <strong>Abby Karst </strong>came up with a block to secure Reese’s first title.</p> <p>Osantowski finished with 34 kills and 17 digs to lead Reese in the victory. Dalak added 42 assists, 13 digs and six kills, while <strong>Sarah Gray </strong>had six kills with 21 digs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="172186" first="Josie" last="Johnson"] </strong>led the Reese defense with 29 digs.</p> <p>SMCC was led by freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="156321" first="McKenna" last="Payne"]</strong>, who had 21 kills, 29 digs and four aces. Fellow freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="156292" first="Jessica" last="Costlow"] </strong>added 22 kills and 19 digs. <strong>Audrey Cousino </strong>put up 10 kills while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24850" first="Kate" last="Collingsworth"] </strong>had 52 assists and 11 digs.</p>