E.D. White rallies in game 4 to eliminate Berwick from postseason

Late in game four of its Division III bi-district playoff game, No. 19 Berwick had all the momentum, ahead 20-14, and looked poised to push No. 14 E.D. White to a fifth and final game
However, coming out of an E.D. White timeout, the Lady Cardinals regrouped and reeled off 11 of the game’s next 13 points en route to a game 4 win and clinching of the match, handing Berwick a heartbreaking 3-1 (18-25, 25-20, 9-25, 25-22) loss.
Coming out of that E.D. White timeout, the Lady Cardinals and Lady Panthers each exchanged a point before E.D. White reeled off the game’s next seven points, tying the game at 21 on Ashley Breaux’s ace.
While Berwick took a 22-21 lead on an E.D. White blocking error, E.D. White tied the game on the next point via a Berwick service error and scored the next three points on a block, a kill and the match clincher on Lila Bordis’ kill.
“I just feel real bad for these seniors,” Berwick head coach Heather Templet said. “It’s all out there, especially that fourth game when we’re winning. Just to finish. That mentality, but we have come a long ways, and we’ve been fighting with it. It hurts. It hurts for these girls because they put so much in it for four years and just to fall like that, but I’m really proud of them. They really put up a fight tonight.”
Seniors Sydney Aucoin and Mary Jordan Melancon and junior Brittney Roberie led Berwick. Aucoin had 15 kills and four digs, while Melancon recorded one ace, three kills, 18 assists and 12 digs. Roberie contributed one ace and 19 digs.
Bordis, a freshman, had a big game for E.D. White with 11 kills, 12 digs and 13 assists.
In game 1, the teams were separated by no more than four points early with Berwick ahead.
However, E.D. White came back, utilizing Berwick errors, and tied the game at nine on a kill.
E.D. White took the lead for good at 12-11 on a kill by Taylor Marcombe and stretched its lead to as much as eight points at 20-12 on Trosclair’s kill.
Berwick got no closer than 23-18 after an E.D. White hitting error en route to a 25-18 game 1 loss for Berwick.
In game 2, E.D. White looked as if it would continue its momentum early as the Lady Cardinals jumped out to a 5-1 lead via an ace by Rebecka Bollinger.
However, after a Berwick timeout, the Lady Panthers regrouped and kept the game close.
After Berwick tied the contest at 20, prompting an E.D. White timeout, the Lady Panthers used a combination of E.D. White errors and a kill by Lauren Skinner just inside the back line en route to a 25-20 Berwick win.
In game 3, Berwick took its only lead of the game at 1-0 on a kill by Aucoin.
Things quickly fell apart for Berwick in the set as E.D. White scored nine straight points before another kill by Aucoin broke the scoring run for a 9-2 E.D. White advantage.
The Lady Cardinals continued to cruise in the set, pushing their lead to as much as 16 points on two occasions en route to the 25-9 win.
“Game three, we totally fell out,” Templet said. “Nothing we tried was working, but the fight. To turn around in game 4, to be leading in game four until the end and really put up (a fight) shows that we have overcome some of the things in the past as a program, and that’s just because of the girls and the work that they’ve done to get us to this point.”
In game 4, Berwick regrouped and led for much of the match, taking an early 7-3 lead on a kill by Aucoin.
While E.D. White rallied and eventually took a 9-8 advantage on Berwick hitting error, the Lady Panthers countered with a 12-5 run to take a 20-14 lead on Skinner’s kill and prompt an E.D. White timeout.
The Lady Cardinals then made their move and clinched the match.
Other top contributors for E.D. White included Mary Grace Chiasson, two aces and 17 assists; Emmi Lasseigne, 18 digs; Anna Rodenberg, nine kills; Sarah Hubbell, two aces; and Trosclair, one block.
Other top Berwick contributors included Abbie Dugas, nine assists and 13 digs; Jordan Lipari, three kills, one assist and 10 digs; Skinner, nine kills and one dig; Roslyn Gros, one ace and eight digs; and Emma Hover, one ace and six digs.
E.D. White will continue postseason play when it travels to New Orleans to take on No. 3 Ursuline Academy. Ursuline received a first-round bye.
Berwick concludes its season with a 14-23 mark.
“These seniors have really brought us a really long way,” Templet said. “I have a bunch of underclassmen out there as well that got a lot of experience, so hopefully we can do it again next year. Hopefully, we won’t match up with a district opponent in the first round. It’s just tough.”