Photo by Noah Clooten
DEVILS LAKE — For the first time in the 2024-25 school year, there were Firebird fans cheering at a varsity event in the Devils Lake Sports Center.
Volleyball season is officially in full swing in the Lake Region. The Firebirds, competing in the EDC for one last season before the class realignment next year, returned home for their first action in front of the home crowd. They displayed the skills they’ve been progressively building, coming into the match as the underdog but going on to put up a worthwhile fight against a region opponent.
Devils Lake (1-6, 0-2) fell 3-0 to West Fargo Horace (7-2, 2-0). The Firebirds lost the first two sets by just two and three points, respectively, before the Hawks put the hammer down in the third set.
“We actually tried a different rotation tonight. Moved some girls around,” Devils Lake head coach Megan Sylling said. “[The Hawks] have a large team. Very tall team. So we were playing about five inches shorter than what they were.”
Set 1: Horace 27, Devils Lake 25 (1-0 Hawks)
The Firebirds lost a thriller to get the evening started.
They led most of the way through, never trailing until the Hawks took a 22-21 lead.
A kill by Mia Elsperger got Devils Lake started on the right foot. Horace got off to a fairly sloppy start, and the Firebirds built a lead of 6-2.
Horace climbed back into it with three straight points, but Devils Lake went up 8-5 on a forceful kill by freshman Emma Hofstad. The exuberant Firebirds student section bellowed cheers of “She’s a freshman!”, to which the relatively minuscule Horace student section responded with a softer version of the same cheer.
Hofstad was second on the team with six kills overall.
“I’m very happy with how Emma Hofstad stepped up to the plate and took on her role,” Sylling said. “We’ve got some great depth on our team. It’s not a huge team, but what I have has a lot of experience coming up from younger girls.”
The Hawks tied it up at eight apiece.
On a long rally four points thereafter, Horace appeared to save two shots that would have gone long, and Torri Fee dove for a point-saving dig. Horace won it anyway and tied it at 10-10.
An ace by Fee helped Devils Lake go back up, 13-10 — a lead that extended to 18-14. The Hawks looked disjointed and awkward on several points.
Fee, Devils Lake’s senior libero, led the team with 21 digs. She also had two aces, tied with Mia Elsperger.
“Torri Fee is always a fantastic leader,” Sylling said.
But the Firebirds had a miscommunication of their own, leading to another Horace comeback. The Hawks came back from 20-15 to win five straight points, tying it at 20-20.
The teams traded points from then on. Devils Lake fought off two set points, tying it up twice on kills by Claire Heilman. The student sections — and surrounding audience members — grew louder.
Heilman had the most kills of any Firebird, with nine overall.
“Claire took a new role tonight,” Sylling said. “She swung on the C, and she did phenomenal. She’s always somebody who is willing to take that hit, take that set, be aggressive.”
But Horace took the final two points and had the ultimate edge, 27-25. Devils Lake then had to regroup very quickly after losing a heartbreaker.
“Just telling the girls to remain confident,” Sylling said. “Having trust in the game plan and really just continuing to push every point.”
Set 2: Horace 25, Devils Lake 22 (2-0 Hawks)
The second set was nearly as tight as the first.
After trailing 2-0, the Firebirds clawed back to tie it at 5-5. Down 8-7, a service ace and several Horace errors allowed Devils Lake to win five straight and climb ahead 12-8.
The Hawks grabbed the momentum right back, going on a 10-1 run to take a seemingly commanding 18-13 lead. But the Firebirds started playing crafty and aggressively. The set, which was defined by streaks, continued on a six-point run from Devils Lake, once again swapping the lead.
The teams were tied at 20, 21 and 22 before Horace finally won the final three points. The culmination of the second set felt eerily similar to the first: The Firebirds fought to keep it close, but the Hawks found ways to win the points that mattered most.
So despite how neck-and-neck both sets were, Horace led 2-0.
“Every game, they’re getting better. There was a lot that we left out on the court in Casselton that I think the girls wish they could have back,” Sylling said, referring to a 1-4 performance at Volley in the Valley. “And so tonight, their goal was to come out and be proud of themselves. And I feel like they did that.”
Set 3: Horace 25, Devils Lake 15 (3-0 Hawks)
The Firebirds finally ran out of gas in the third set.
They led 2-0, but the Hawks won four straight to go ahead 6-3 — a lead they never relinquished.
Devils Lake played some long points early on, but its tiredness showed in the latter half of the set. The Firebirds got sloppy and made more errors in the net. With the set still fairly close at 16-12, Horace took seven straight points to run away with it.
“Those first two sets took a lot out of them,” Sylling said. “So that last one, they got a little tired.”
Devils Lake goes right back to region play on Thursday, traveling to play Valley City (0-1) on the road at 7 p.m.
“Continuing to tighten up those block transitions,” Sylling said of the continued improvements she wants to see. “Working on those because we’re short. So we have to be quicker. Continuing to work on the tips, and then just staying aggressive on every single play.”
