DOWAGIAC — Edwardsburg and Berrien Springs advanced to tonight’s Class B District Volleyball Tournament semifinals with wins over Buchanan and Dowagiac.

The Eddies defeated the Bucks 3-1, while the Shamrocks swept the Chieftains 3-1.

Edwardsburg…3

Buchanan…1

A 29-27 thriller in the first set may have taken the steam out of the Buchanan sails against Edwardsburg.

The Eddies went on to defeat the Bucks 29-27, 25-19, 12-25 and 25-15.

The Bucks (18-19-5) had to rally from a 22-17 deficit to tie the match at 24 on a kill by Audrey Oake.

From there it was just a war.

Edwardsburg and Buchanan traded leads back and forth until a Rachel Vite kill gave the Eddies a 28-27 lead which they were able to hold on to.

The second set told the tale of the match as Edwardsburg, behind the play of Vite and Emily Kozinski, dominated the Bucks. The Eddies build a 22-15 lead and cruised to the 25-19 win.

It was all Buchanan in the third set as the Bucks rolled to a 25-12 win.

Oake helped Buchanan build a 13-7 lead which it never relinquished.

Edwardsburg coach Sarah Benjamin rallied the troops for the fourth and deciding set.

After talking to her squad about focus, the Eddies came out and opened up a quick 14-4 advantage and then headed home with the victory and a spot in the semifinals.

Ally McIntee got things started with three straight service winners to get Edwardsburg off to a good start.

Kozinski helped seal the deal with a pair of kills to extend the lead to 22-14.

“We were down a little bit to start game two,” Buchanan coach Lisa Holok said. “We just allowed too many points to be scored at different stretches of the game and for us to have to battle back at different points was mentally frustrating for us.”

Buchanan statistics

Audrey Oake 3 blocks, 28 kills, 33 digs

Dani Dale 19 kills, 2 blocks

Kelsie Patrick 2 blocks, 7 kills, 4 digs

Rachel Bonek 5 blocks, 3 kills, 2 digs

Ashley Simpson 3 kills, 3 digs

Pachia Benson 55 assists, 2 kills, 21 digs

Baylie Lee 10 digs

Brooke Schultz 9 digs

Erin Glavin 7 digs

Ashley Luzadre 6 digs

Edwardsburg statistics

Emily Kozinski 18 kills, 20 digs, 2 blocks

Ally McIntee 20 digs, 4 aces

Emily Getz 41 assists, 1 ace, 19 digs, 4 blocks

Bronnie Tafunai 25 digs, 5 kills, 2 blocks, 1 ace

Rachel Vite 3 blocks, 6 kills, 3 digs

Paige Mueller 32 digs

Berrien Springs…3

Dowagiac…1

The Dowagiac volleyball team saved its best for last as it battled Berrien Springs tooth and nail before falling to the Shamrocks 25-10, 20-25, 25-22 and 25-13.

“I can say tonight is the best they have played all year,” Dowagiac coach Bill Anderson said. “I am so proud of them. I told them that is what they have worked so hard for all year. I told them this is the way we should have played all year.”

Berrien Springs, which will face St. Joseph today in one semifinal, got the best of the Chieftains in the opening set.

After Dowagiac grabbed a 4-2 lead on a kill by Hope Daniel, the Shamrocks came storming back, winning six of the next seven points to take an 8-5 lead it would never relinquish.

But in the second game, the Chieftains played some inspired volleyball. The team communicated well, passed the ball well, ran its offense and served the ball well enough to pull out the win.

Dowagiac took a 12-10 lead on a kill by Kaisha Martin and after Jessica Holmes served up a trio of service winners, the lead was 14-10.

A service winner by Devon Ownby, a kill by Carly Polomcak and an ace by Daniel extended the lead to 22-15.

Berrien Springs cut the lead to 23-20 on four straight winners by Desiree Scoggin, but a service error on her next attempt gave Dowagiac game point and the Chieftains put the set away.

The third set was back and forth with neither team really seizing control.

The set was tied 14 times, the last at 22-22.

But Dowagiac couldn’t pull it out and in the process, used up all the energy it had left.

Berrien Springs rolled to the easy 25-13 win in the fourth and deciding set.

“We just ran out of gas,” Anderson said.