Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SYRACUSE – Having dropped two games earlier this week to two ranked teams in Carroll and Penn, the Warsaw volleyball team shifted focus back to Northern Lakes Conference play on Thursday evening as they traveled to Syracuse to take on rival Wawasee. It was smooth sailing for the Lady Tigers in this one, as they picked up a 3-0 victory to get back in the win column and stay perfect in the NLC.
“It’s always good for the confidence to get a win,” Warsaw head coach Chandra Hepler said after the game. “It’s been a long week already against some really good teams so to get back on track with a conference game, that’s the time to do it.”
Aggressive serving resulted in a large chunk of the visitors’ points in the early going of the first set, as Warsaw used multiple aces at the beginning of the match to build an early lead. That wasn’t the only source of offense, as the Lady Tigers were also attacking and defending very well at the net. The hosts were not making it easy on them though, as each point went back and forth and was a battle in itself. Wawasee was able to come up with a couple of big digs that ended up stealing a few points.
However, while most points were extremely competitive, the results were starting to get a little one-sided. Late in the set, the Lady Warriors called their first timeout of the match after the Lady Tigers went up by 10. It didn’t do much to stop the roll the visitors were on, as they continued to extend their lead after the fact. Madison Branam, who began the set with a pair of aces, picked up another one late to put her team within just a few points of taking the opener.
They did just that a few moments later. Junior Reagan Edwards, who had come up with big kill time and time again throughout the first set, smashed two more into the court late as Warsaw took the opening set 25-11.
Wawasee gave their opponent a handful of freebie points early in the second set, as the home side was struggling to calibrate their kill attempts. Most of the home team’s chances over the first few points sailed wide and out of bounds, which was something they could ill afford. Even with the early miscues, the Lady Warriors began the second set much better than the first, hanging around as the game wore on.
Wawasee senior Addie Delagrange bumps the ball as teammates Emily Ringler (L) and Jadyn Klenke look on during Thursday night's home match against Warsaw...Nieter
Eventually, the Lady Tigers were able to start wearing their opponent down and started extending their lead once more. A pair of freshmen, Stella Wiggins and Anna Stenoish, were both in the game at the same time and both making an impact at the front line as their team started to separate.
“It’s so nice to have two freshmen that can not only play, but play together. They’re getting valuable experience every time they take the floor,” Hepler said. “Sometimes they have that deer in the headlights look but they go out there and they perform. Very happy with their effort tonight.
Late in the set, Warsaw was able to extend its lead to double figures for the second time in as many matches. The depth of the visitors was on full display, as the team was losing practically nothing when subbing out one player for another. The Lady Tigers offense kept on churning to a 25-12 win on a kill by Harper Setser, making it a 2-0 game and putting them firmly in the driver’s seat.
It appeared as if Warsaw was going to dispatch their foe rather quickly, as the guests scored five of the first six points in the third set. Their opponent refused to go down without a fight though, and they quickly returned the favor to even things up at 6-6. The game of runs continued from there, as Warsaw responded with another 5-0 run to quickly put the pressure back on Wawasee.
With sophomore Audrey Fitzsimmons picking up a pair of aces for the home team to make it a three-point game momentarily. The visitors picked up the slack from there, as Wiggins and others continued to dominate the game up front. The lead had not grown as large as it had the two sets prior, but it was enough to give the Lady Tigers some cushion.
A timeout very late in the set only prolonged the inevitable, as Warsaw went on to finish things off with a 25-17 victory to secure the sweep and remain perfect in conference play.
Edwards led the team with eight kills. Wiggins and Steniosh both had seven. The Lady Tigers had 14 aces, and Madison Branam had seven digs.
Warsaw (14-9, 5-0 NLC) will host a tournament on Saturday. Wawasee (11-10, 2-2 NLC) is at home on Monday against Northridge.
“We have eight games left in the regular season and some very specific goals we want to accomplish. We still want to win this conference and have our eyes on the postseason.” Hepler said. “We’ve already played some great teams in some tough environments this season, and I feel like we will be prepared when October rolls around.”
