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What has been nothing short of a magical run for the Warsaw volleyball team continued on Saturday night. Just nine days after winning their fourth straight Northern Lakes Conference title, the Lady Tigers picked up a second “four-peat” to celebrate. With a 3-0 win over Elkhart on Saturday night, Warsaw captured its fourth straight sectional championship.
For the team’s seven seniors, this was another unforgettable moment in what has been an incredible stretch.
“It means so much to me, to come into this program as a freshman and be accepted immediately and be able to make an impact for all four years, it’s so special,” libero Ellie Hepler, who has been a starter for all four of these teams, said. “I love playing with my teammates, I love playing for my mom. The culture we have here is just incredible.”
Ellie wasn’t the only senior who couldn’t hold back the smile on their face.
“I feel like we all play for each other. We’re all best friends and no matter if one of us is having a tough day, the others are there to pick them up,” senior hitter CeCe Goode said. “I think all of that goes back to the culture that we’ve built here.”
“We’ve definitely built lifelong friendships over the past four years. I think that chemistry helps us on the court, too,” senior setter Avary Hoeppner added.
Head coach Chandra Hepler, who won four straight sectional titles when she was a player for the Lady Tigers, got a tad emotional when discussing what her seven seniors have meant to her program.
“All I can feel is pride. Warsaw is a very competitive program so for them to have made it this far shows their work ethic and their dedication,” she said. “Whether they play a lot or not, they have been the heartbeat of this program for four years.”
As for the game itself, things got off to a terrifying start. After just five points of play, the game came to a screeching halt as Elkhart’s Serenity Rodriguez suffered a scary-looking injury by colliding with the bleachers behind the court while making an extra effort for the ball. Play was halted for several moments as she was gingerly helped off of the court.
“Any time you see something like that happen, it’s really scary. My thoughts and prayers go out to her,” Coach Hepler said. “I thought my girls did a really good job of staying focused and unified.”
Both sides tried to get back into a rhythm after the injury timeout, with Warsaw able to hang on to its early lead. The Lady Lions responded well after the loss of one of their own, briefly tying things up at 7-7 after trailing by two.
The hosts were able to stay in front for a majority of this early stretch thanks to the team’s ability to spread the love offensively. Reagan Edwards, Maddie Williamson and Jaycie Stockman all made their mark early on as Warsaw went up by four.
With an ace by Olivia Rooney, the lead grew to six, its largest of the night. This forced the first timeout call by Elkhart in the match. The Lady Lions were able to score a few points in the stretch that followed, mostly in part to some great work by their blockers up front. On multiple occasions, the visitors were able to get within three, but an unforced error would kill all momentum.
The Warsaw volleyball team celebrates after defeating Elkhart for its fourth straight sectional championship.
A pair of aces from Lexy Whittenberger gave Warsaw some much needed separation in the final points of the opening set. After an up-and-down first game, the Lady Tigers began the championship match with a 25-17 win.
Elkhart took its first lead of the evening in the early going of the second set, but Warsaw quickly retook control and went up by four. There were a couple of instances in which the Lady Lions were able to cut back down to two, but the hosts kept their opponents at bay each time.
An incredible dig by Hepler saved a big point for her team near the midway point of the second set, in what turned into yet another big momentum play for the Lady Tigers. The point after a long rally catapulted the home side into a 4-0 run that resulted in Elkhart calling for time with Warsaw up 16-9.
A couple of big kills by Edwards in the final moments of the set put the Lady Tigers up by double figures for the first time in the contest. After the Lady Lions used their last timeout down by 12, the home team quickly put the second game to bed with a 25-13 win to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
Through 10 points in the third game, things were remarkably even. Fighting for their playoff lives, the Lady Lions came out with an extra edge. Elkhart was able to take brief leads at multiple points in the early going, but each time, Warsaw was there to respond. Eventually, the Lady Tigers would get back into a rhythm and go up by four.
The Lady Lions did not go away quietly. The visitors were able to shrink a five-point host lead into a one-point advantage late in the set to keep things interesting. That would be as close as they’d get though, as Warsaw was able to finish the game strong and claim the sectional title with a 25-17 kill on a kill by Edwards.
Sophomore Reagan Edwards of Warsaw goes up for a kill during Saturday's sectional match agains Concord.
“I want to be somebody my teammates can rely on. If we’re in a tough situation I want them to know they can get me the ball and I can make things happen,” Edwards said.
Warsaw (28-4) will take on Penn in the regional on Saturday. The game will be played at 7 p.m. at Culver Community High School. The Lady Tigers will look to snap a streak of three straight losses in the regional.
“I think if we play our best, we’re a really tough team to beat. I feel like we need to keep focusing on ourselves and getting better,” Ellie said. “We want it so badly, and we know we’re capable of getting it done.”
