If the Wildcats play with the same determination in next week’s North Coast Section playoffs, they could be in line for a deep postseason run.
On Thursday night, Ferndale hosted St. Bernard’s in a Redwood League playoff game to decide which of the co-champs receives the league’s automatic bid for the Section tournament and probable home game in the opening round, and won in five sets.
But they had to battle, answering the call with a clutch performance.
They not only trailed by two sets after a fast start for the visitors, but were down by eight points in set three.
But they would claw their way into contention on the way to securing a third win over their league rivals this season.
“Every point was a battle. The rallies felt so long,” Ferndale head coach SK Montiel Clark said. “The determination I saw last night from my team was unreal. I’m so proud to be their coach.”
The Crusaders were unable to maintain the early momentum.
“We fought a tough game last night,” SB head coach Sejay Cyphers said. “All the credit to Ferndale. They were great last night.”
Several players stood out for the home team in what was a balanced team performance.
Sophomore Abagail Gossi led the Ferndale offense with a game-high 17 kills.
“Her ability to move the ball around was incredible,” the Ferndale coach said. “She was unstoppable despite St. Bernard’s great blocking.”
Sophomore Macie Wantt also impressed, finishing with eight kills, as did junior Ki Giacomioni and senior Olivia Gossi, who each added seven kills.
Defensively, freshman Mareya Baxley rose to the challenge, finishing with nine blocks, and she was “super strong at the net,” according to her coach, while senior Dalia Cantu-Mendez’s composure under pressure also played a key role in the comeback.
“Dalia led our offense with confidence despite the pressure of losing the first two sets,” Montiel Clark said.
But it was the character the entire team showed after dropping the first two sets that was the story of the night.
“I think everyone in the stands thought we were done for,” the Ferndale coach added. “But the girls decided they weren’t done fighting.”
The Crusaders struggled at the service line, which ultimately proved to be decisive.
“We had multiple serving errors,” Cyphers said. “That initially was the difference in winning and losing.”
Despite the loss, the co-champion Crusaders will still carry plenty of momentum into the postseason after a strong finish to the regular season.
“My girls made me so incredibly proud,” Cyphers added. “They played together, they worked hard and had fun.
“We had nothing to lose and it was the perfect game to roll into the playoffs with.”
The NCS brackets and seeds will be announced this weekend.
