The eighth-seeded Prescott Cardinals volleyball team pushed the top-seeded Baldwin- Woodville Blackhawks to the brink but ultimately came up just short in the WIAA Division 2 Regional Semifinal game on Thursday, Oct. 20, in Baldwin.

Despite the two teams being seeded quite diuerently, Prescott and Baldwin-Woodville had split the season series before entering Thursday night’s playou contest. The Black hawks had defeated Prescott at a quad on Thursday, Sept. 8, and the Cardinals had toppled Baldwin-Woodville in the Middle Border Conference opener on Thursday, Sept. 15.

Baldwin-Woodville’s hot start in the opening set of the rubber match and pivotal scoring in a critical third set proved to be too much for Prescott to overcome. The Blackhawks advanced to the regional championship with a four-set victory over the Cardinals. Prescott head coach Tracey Budworth was happy with her team’s euort.

“Not the result we hoped for but I couldn’t be prouder of how they played today,” Budworth said. “They battled every single second and I think that they left everything they had on the court.”

While Prescott played hard, it was Baldwin- Woodville that jumped out to an early lead in the first set. The Blackhawks attacked the outside and started the game on a 9-2 run against Prescott. The Cardinals chipped away at times, but the deficit was too much to over come as Baldwin-Woodville cruised to a 2519 victory in the debut set.

That energy that Budworth spoke of became apparent in the second set when the Cardinals responded by grabbing a lead of their own in that hostile playou crowd en vironment. With the set tied 14-14, Prescott scored four unanswered points that helped secure a lead that culminated in a 25-19 win in the second set. The victory knotted up the best-of-five series 1-1 heading into a pivotal third set.

There were five lead changes in the first 10 points of the third set. Both teams put their bodies on the line, diving for every ball that was potentially in play. Baldwin-Woodville put together a small scoring run that resulted in a 12-8 lead and a Prescott timeout. The Cardinals rallied to tie the set 19-19 and eventually 21-21.

That’s when Prescott served a ball out of bounds, giving Baldwin-Woodville a 22-21 lead, and the opportunity to serve. The Blackhawks aced the ensuing serve and took a twopoint lead, 23-21, that eventually culminated in a 25-21 victory.

“We still had a little more serve receive issues than I would like,” Budworth said. “I think that they also exposed a few of our weaknesses. We didn’t cover our corners very well and they took advantage of that. They’re good at finding the line and keeping it in. We talked about making sure to get a foot on the line and we didn’t even get a foot close to the line.”

Prescott’s backline defensive weaknesses were put to the test in the fourth and final set. Baldwin-Woodville attacked Prescott’s back corners and slowly built a 16-11 lead over the Cardinals which forced a Prescott timeout. The Blackhawks cruised to a 25-15 win to secure the 3-1 victory over Prescott.

“I’m so proud of how this season went as a first-year head coach at this level,” Budworth said. “I’m proud of my girls and how well they held things together. It’s just such a great group of girls. I’m excited about the future.”

With the 2022 season now over, Prescott loses some valuable seniors to graduation including outside hitter Katrina Budworth, right side hitter Campbell Hundt, outside hitter Sydney Magee, and middle hitter Rylie Radlou, who missed the entire season due to injury.

“Saying goodbye to the seniors is really hard. For starters, one of them is my baby and it’s the last year I’ll ever watch her play volleyball,” Budworth said. “These girls have grown up together and as a mom and coach, I’ve known them their entire lives. They’re such a great group of girls.”

Prescott finishes the season with a 25-16 record and a 4-3 record in the Middle Border Conference slate of games. The Cardinals will return three of their best players next season as Reese Ptacek will be a senior, Natalie Ptacek will be entering her junior season and setter Katressa Syverson will be a senior.

“I couldn’t have caught myself a better setter,” Budworth said. “I’m so impressed with her. I’ve got a ton of talent with Reese and Natalie coming back. We’ve got a lot of talent coming back next year and some talent that can really be cultivated in some of the younger girls. I’m pretty excited.”

(From left) Prescott senior Katrina Budworth, sophomore Natalie Ptacek, and juniors Reese Ptacek and Katressa Syverson celebrate after going on a scoring run that forced a Baldwin-Woodville timeout in the WIAA Division 2 Regional Semifinal game on Thursday, Oct. 20. Photo by Reagan Hoverman