LEXINGTON — Shelby volleyball coach Katelyn Olewiler knows her players perform best when they’re having fun.
A three-set comeback to punch their ticket to Saturday’s Division IV regional final falls under that category. Shelby won its last regional championship in 1990.
After dropping two straight sets, 25-21 and 25-20, Shelby stormed back to defeat familiar foe Highland 15-13 in the fifth set of Thursday’s Division IV regional semifinal at Lexington High School.
It was déjà vu all over again heading into the third set.
In their second meeting earlier this season, Highland built a 2-0 advantage — but Shelby rallied to win the next three sets and force a tie atop the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference.
Trailing 2-0 Thursday night, Shelby won the next three sets to reach the Elite Eight.
“We know that we’re tough and that we don’t get down after that,” Olewiler said.
“We trust in ourselves … in our training that we’ve done and we know we just have to adjust, reset and come back out for the third set.
“Those first two sets don’t matter anymore. You have to go out and compete regardless of what the history of the night has told us.”
Gallery: Shelby vs. Highland
Third set momentum shift
The Whippets trailed Highland for the entirety of the first two sets.
Shelby battled to its first lead of the night in set three. Momentum began to shift at Lexington High School when the Whippets led 16-12.
A few moments later, Highland’s All-Ohioan Kameron Stover rolled her ankle with her team trailing 20-17. She was unable to return to action Thursday.
“No one on our team is celebrating that,” Olewiler said. “She’s an amazing player. She is the heart and soul of their team and you never want to see that versus a kid like that.
“She’s an incredible athlete … I went over and talked to her and said, ‘You make me very angry on the other side, but I respect you so much,’ and I can’t wait to watch her college career.”
Echoing similar sentiments as her coach, Shelby senior Baylie Hoffbauer acknowledged the significance of Stover’s injury.
Hoffbauer said the Whippets knew Highland wasn’t going to slow down — even with the exit of its All-Ohio hitter.
“I feel really bad for Kameron that she got hurt,” Hoffbauer said. “But that kind of set us up to get the third set and just keep going.”
‘No fear’
Hoffbauer was one of two Whippets, along with Eve Schwemley, who never left the floor Thursday.
She finished with 43 assists, 24 digs, two aces and five kills. Madison Henkel led Shelby with 20 kills. Lexi Mohn added 12 digs, while Schwemley and Alex Lay combined for 13.
Kendra Walp led Shelby with 26 digs. Schwemley recorded 15, while Ava Bowman and Mylee Shackle collected 11 digs each.
“In the huddle, we just talked about going out there and having no fear,” Hoffbauer said.
“When we get a good kill, we like to celebrate, and if we lose a point we just try to come together, regroup and get back to the next set and just keep going.”
Shelby’s next opportunity to “keep going” will come Saturday. The Whippets will play Cortland Lakeview in the Division IV regional championship match at 2 p.m. back at Lexington High School.
Lakeview defeated Milbury Lake 3-1 in Thursday’s second semifinal match.
The winner earns a trip to the state tournament.
“It’s really exciting,” Hoffbauer said of Saturday’s final.
“We’ve just got to go out and play our hardest like it’s our last game. I hope it’s not, but we’ve just got to play our best and hope we win.”