Holland Hall volleyball finally claims gold with 4-set win for Class 3A title
By Buck Ringgold | Photos by Christian Potts
SAPULPA - Shelby Swanson wanted to make a fashion statement when her Holland Hall volleyball team took to the court for Saturday’s Class 3A championship match.
And so the coach of the Dutch broke out shiny gold pants, sending a message Holland Hall was indeed going for the gold. Her team then went out and made a statement of their own, and made history in the process.
For the first time in program history, Holland Hall claimed volleyball gold as the Dutch took a four-set decision against Rejoice Christian. Holland Hall won the match 25-18, 24-26, 25-12, 25-22, at Sapulpa High School.
“I love to do kind of fun stuff, and I always think the girls feed off of it,” Swanson said. “So I’ve been telling them that we’re out here for one reason and we’re here to make a statement, so I joined suit and decided to go for the gold pants and make a statement that we’re here for gold, so I’m glad it worked out.”
It was also motivation for Holland Hall’s seniors. The Dutch (24-15) have seven seniors on the roster, four of whom were in the starting rotation, so they were determined to be the senior class to finally get Holland Hall over the hump.
“We came into this season knowing, especially since we had so many seniors, that this was our year and we had to go take advantage and really go out there and show what we were capable of,” said Molly Summers, one of the starting seniors.
Like the Dutch, Rejoice Christian was also bidding to secure its first-ever volleyball title. After dropping the opening set, the Eagles fought back in the second set.
They broke a 24-all score on a kill from junior Izzy Wilson, and on the next point, Holland Hall exceeded the three hits needed to get the ball over the net, forcing the match to be square at a set apiece.
But Holland Hall seized momentum in the third set, scoring the first five points. After Rejoice ended the run with two straight points, the Dutch’s front row took over, delivering a series of kills - including two straight from senior Macey Collier - to build a 10-2 advantage.
“That’s been one of our goals throughout the tournament coming in was to make a statement from the beginning and to go out really strong from the start of each set,” Swanson said. “Coming off the second set and having lost close and knowing we weren’t playing quite as aggressively as we can and as our game allows, it was key going into that third set for sure that we decided we were going to be a lot more aggressive.
"Also just to have that attitude that it was ours and we were going to go take it.”
Rejoice (24-14) did make a push, closing to within three, 15-12. But Dutch freshman hitter Avery Robson’s kill ignited a 6-0 run, with Robson ending that surge with a block up front.
Sophomore Parker Zahn then delivered a kill that landed within the line at set point, putting Holland Hall in position to grab gold.
“We knew Rejoice has a lot of fight and they are a really, really good team, so we knew if we wanted to be able to take this game and win the state championship, we had to come out on fire,” said Summers, referring to the pivotal third set.
The Dutch proceeded to build a 13-9 lead in the fourth set, but again, the Eagles didn’t go away. They surged in front, 16-14, after sophomore Emily Ingraham served a successful ace.
Holland Hall scored three straight points to regain the lead before Rejoice tied it on the next point. But Dutch senior setter Kate Hook had two kills over the next three points as they built a 20-17 lead, which they didn’t relinquish.
The lead grew to five, 23-18, on another kill from Robson. Summers’ kill on match point finally gave Holland Hall its first title.
“We knew we wanted to finish out that set, like we wanted it so bad, and so in our head, we talked about it and we were like, ‘This is our set; we’re taking it,’ and we just went out there and took it,” Hook said.
“Our goal (for the hitters on the Dutch front row) is to run the offense really aggressive and fast, and that really helped us win this game.”
The aggressive play from her team was something Swanson wanted to see, especially on Saturday.
“They wanted it bad,” Swanson said. “Every single girl on that court wanted it bad, and we knew that if we went out and went swinging, that they couldn’t stop us.
“So I just kept encouraging the girls, especially those older ones, just to go out and swing, and go in knowing that it’s yours and you’re going to go take it and you’re going to go put the ball down, and they definitely did that.”
As a result, the Dutch were finally able to celebrate one more time and get a trophy. Gold of course, matching Swanson’s pants.
“It’s really amazing, we’ve worked so hard for this and we just wanted it so bad and it’s so rewarding,” Hook said. “We’re just happy to say that we made Holland Hall history.”
