There’s an old saying in athletics that it’s extremely difficult to beat the same opponent three times in a season.

Unfortunately, that old saw applied to the Wayland varsity volleyball team, which was the victim of a four-set upset at the hands of South Christian. And it cost the Lady Wildcats, heavy favorites, to capture the Division 2 district championship.

Wayland beat South Christian during the regular season in a dual match and repeated the outcome last month in the semifinals of the O-K Gold Conference tournament.

It was a bitter end to a quality campaign in which the Wildcats took second in the O-K Gold tourney and second in the final league standings, bested only by Grand Rapids Catholic Central, ranked fifth in the latest state-wide poll.