Whitman's girls volleyball team pushed No. 5-ranked Churchill to five sets Friday, Sept. 25, before falling 15-12 in the decider at home.

The Vikings and Bulldogs split the first four sets, none decided by more than three points until the fourth. Churchill took the opener 25-22. Whitman evened the match with a 25-22 second-set win, but Churchill edged the third 25-23.

Whitman won the fourth set 25-18, the match's widest margin, to force a deciding fifth.

Churchill held on, 15-12.

The Bulldogs (6-1 at the time of the match) entered first in Class 4A West Region II play and ranked No. 5 in Maryland Class 4A, according to MaxPreps. Senior outside hitter Lucy Deraleau leads Churchill with 103 kills, averaging 3.8 per set. Senior middle hitter Meera Patel anchors the block with 21 total blocks and a .297 hitting percentage.

The Vikings shook off the loss quickly. On Tuesday, Sept. 29, Whitman swept Quince Orchard 3-0 in a region match, improving to 4-5 overall and 2-1 in region play, second in the standings per MaxPreps.

Churchill, which lost a tournament match to Richard Montgomery on Saturday, Sept. 26, sits at 6-2 overall and 4-0 in region.

Whitman heads to Bethesda-Chevy Chase on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 6:30 p.m. for a region matchup. Churchill visits Walter Johnson the same evening at 6:30 p.m.