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The Warsaw volleyball team faced one of its toughest tests of the season on Tuesday night, hosting defending 4A state champion Fort Wayne Carroll. The match was much closer than the final score indicated, as each point was a battle with each side showcasing why both teams are ranked in the top 10 in the state. After three intense sets, the Lady Chargers walked away with a 3-0 win.
“This was a good measuring stick for us to see where we’re at and what we need to improve on to get a chance at a rematch in the semi state,” Warsaw head coach Chandra Hepler said. “If we don’t improve on the things that were our weaknesses tonight, we won’t make it past a regional and we recognize that.”
In front of an absolutely packed Tiger Den, both teams were able to showcase their incredible skill in the early going. Momentum shifted on a dime numerous times throughout the early points, as each side was able to hold onto a slim lead.
It was obviously clear that these were two of the top ten teams in the state facing off in this one. Self-inflicted wounds were far and few between. Each point scored was earned, as both sides engaged in several long and grueling points as they searched for an edge.
The first real edge in the match came near the midway point of the first set, as the Lady Chargers were able to extend their lead to three. The Lady Tigers were able to answer right away though, scoring four straight points, with an ace by Ellie Hepler to top it off, to retake the lead immediately. Not to be outdone, Carroll responded with four straight of its own to go back up by three and force a Warsaw timeout trailing 19-16.
Some strong offense by CeCe Goode allowed the Lady Tigers to continue to hang around as the opening set neared its conclusion. With the visitors just two points away from victory, a big block by Goode and Edwards was able to shrink the deficit down to just one at 23-22, resulting in a Carroll timeout.
An ace by Lexy Whittenberger after the break tied things up, but that would be the final point scored by the home team in the first game. The Lady Chargers would rebound to finish the job and go up 1-0 after a 25-23 win.
“I really liked our first set. We were really aggressive serving and we were passing really well,” Warsaw head coach Chandra Hepler said. “We were getting the ball to all of our hitters and that really opened up a lot for us.”
The visitors took control of the second set early on and were able to jump out to an early lead. Once more, this was followed by an answer by the Lady Tigers, who quickly scored the necessary three points in a row to tie up the game. Carroll jumped back in front and stayed there for some considerable time, but Warsaw consistently remained a point or two away.
That was until the middle stage of the set, as the visitors extended their lead to six, their largest of the night thus far. Now, each time the Lady Tigers looked to make a push to tighten things up, they were quickly denied by the visitors. Still trailing by six at 19-13, the team took its second timeout of the game.
With Coach Chandra Hepler watching from behind, Warsaw sophomore Jaycie Stockman goes up for a kill during the first set...Nieter
This break didn’t do anything to stop the bleeding, as the defending state champions were now fully rolling. They took a commanding 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-16 win.
“I thought we lacked consistency. Our passing broke down in the last two sets and we lost our middle. If we want to win at the level we want to, we need our middles involved,” Hepler said Reagan Edwards gets so high above the net so we really need to keep her involved. That opens things up for CeCe as well.”
Needing something to stay alive in the match, Warsaw had a fantastic start to the third set. After giving up the first three points, the team immediately responded by scoring seven straight to take their largest lead of the night, forcing a Carroll timeout in the process.
Coming out of it, the Lady Chargers seemed reenergized and refreshed, quickly scoring five straight of their own to retake the lead in a flash. The Lady Tigers quickly battled to tie things up once more, but this time, the visitors were able to keep their foot on the gas and get right back to work.
The lead continued to balloon for Carroll as the team neared a win. Warsaw continued to fight until the bitter end, giving their opponent all they had. In the end, the Lady Chargers finished things off with a 25-15 win.
Warsaw (18-4) resumes Northern Lakes Conference play on Thursday against Wawasee.
