The Ottawa West volleyball team won its first district in 17 years by coming back from a 14-11 fifth-set deficit to win last week.

In Tuesday’s Division 1 regional semifinal, the Panthers led 14-11 in the fifth only to see Portage Northern come back and win 18-16 in a cruel irony that ended Ottawa West’s season.

THE Panthers lost in five sets 18-25, 25-18, 20-25, 25-20, 18-16, a match so close that the sets mirrored each other.

But in the final runs, Portage Northern middle hitter Jordyn Hughes took over.

“She turned on the jets and did what she could with every ball she grabbed at the end. Nothing happened in our favor in the last points, while during the rest of the match things seemed to be going that way,” said West Ottawa coach Kaitlyn Lawton. “The pressure was a little more on us in those final moments than them. We just struggled to put that last point together. But we fought and it ended 18-16.”

More: West Ottawa saves match points to win district title in five sets, first since 2007; The HC wins

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Freshman Akiah Garvelink led the Panthers with 13 kills, Lil Gitler had 12 kills, while Magaly Lemus had 11 kills, four blocks and three aces.

Addy Scholten distributed 30 assists and made 11 recoveries. Monroe Nienhuis made 15 digs.

“I reminded them that there is only one team that ends the season on a happy note,” Lawton said. “The team we started with and the team we finished with were two very different teams. It’s sad to end, but we had some firsts and we have a lot to be proud of.”

Division 2

The chestnuts fall in four

Christian of Holland lost to Grand Rapids South Christian 22-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-17.

Things were looking good for the Maroons with a solid first set.

“We definitely hit our peak at the end of our season. Taking districts was amazing, beating Unity, the conference champion,” Holland Christian coach Kylie Leeuw said. “We started strong in regionals, winning the first set, but then we didn’t execute like we know how and made a few unforced errors. South is a big team and we had a hard time stopping them.”

Josilyn Potter had 17 kills and Kierea Smits had 13 kills. Sophie Terpstra made 27 assists.

“They fought until the end and it was an unforgettable season,” Leeuw said.

South Christian is coached by Zeeland East graduate Teresa (Borst) VanderSchaaf, who played at Hope College and was All-MIAA when Hope reached the Final Four in 2009.

Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’[email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.

This article was originally published on The Holland Sentinel: Ottawa West and Holland Christian Volleyball edged out in regional final