After allowing victory over Grand Rapids to slip away in the fourth game and then falling behind in the fifth game, Hermantown volleyball coach Sue Wasbotten kidded that it was all part of the master plan.
"I wanted to make sure they were building some character along the way so we thought we'd have some close games," she said.
Wasbotten was only half-joking.
By playing what amounts to a murderer's row of Northland high school teams and surviving tight matches -- the latest being a 3-2 heartstopper Thursday night at home -- Wasbotten hopes this Hawks team can do what none has done since the mid-1990s and qualify for the Class AA state tournament.
"I just hope we can hold on to all that character until playoff time," she said. "I'm glad we're playing well, but we just need to keep pushing all the way through the season. This is the first team in a long time that when push came to shove, they did it. I told them that that's more important than the win. There have been a lot of years when we haven't been able to do that."
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Hermantown overcame a sluggish start before overpowering Grand Rapids in the middle frames and then bouncing back from near disaster to win 20-25, 25-15, 25-12, 23-25, 15-12.
The Hawks improved to 4-0, beating, in a row, local powerhouses Esko, Duluth East and Grand Rapids -- teams with a combined 5-0 record coming in.
"Being 4-0 has boosted our confidence a lot, but we don't want to get cocky," said senior outside hitter Sam Kallberg, who totaled a match-high 20 kills.
Next up are undefeated Greenway and undefeated Hibbing, teams that should keep Hermantown players on their toes.
"Playing all these tough teams in a row, we know we have to be faster and play harder," senior middle hitter Katie Thun said.
The Hawks were in control in the second and third games, pulling away with a 12-5 run in the former and a 15-6 start in the latter. When Hermantown led 20-16 in the fourth game and forced the Thunderhawks (3-1) to take a timeout, it appeared the match was over.
Grand Rapids then ran off four consecutive points and outlasted Hermantown down the stretch to even the match.
"That was the first thing we addressed in the huddle (between the fourth and fifth games) -- it showed a lot of what we're capable of doing and was a good indicator that the kids were playing hard," Grand Rapids coach Bryan Fideldy said. "It would have been really easy to pack it in in that fourth game."
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The Thunderhawks took a 10-6 lead in the final game but were unable to hold off quick sets to Thun.
"The difference was that Hermantown had the ability to pass the ball up to the setter when Thun was in the front row; we were pretty much at her mercy," Fideldy said. "It always ends with her thunderous kill, but it really started two kids before that when they were able to pass the ball."
The last of Thun's 15 kills tied the game at 12 and then Jessica Wasbotten served the match out.
Hermantown def. Grand Rapids 20-25, 25-15, 25-12, 23-25, 15-12 -- H: Stephanie Kallberg 20K; Katie Thun 15K; Emily Neumann 49SA; Nicole Kienzle 10K; Jessica Wasbotten 11D; Kaitlyn Paczynski 12D. GR: Sidney Mattson 34SA, 14D, 8K; Bekah Morris 12K; Kaitlyn Olson 9K; Staci Sjostrand 8K; Jordan Olson 11-for-11 serving, 19D; Anna Yurrik 4B; Angela Gerari 3B; Maddie Keute 10D.
