In another edition of what has become a great rivalry in recent years, the Warsaw volleyball team hosted Penn at the Tiger Den Wednesday night. As is the case every time these teams get together, it was a great one, with the Lady Tigers surviving a massive comeback by the visitors to win 3-2.
After giving up the first two points of the game to Penn, the Lady Tigers reclaimed some momentum with a big combination block by seniors Maggie Hollon and Allison Chapman. The Lady Kingsman were able to respond well, going on a run of their own to go back up by five and force Warsaw to use its first timeout of the match trailing 9-4.
Following the break, the Lady Tigers responded in a big way, using a couple of aces to get back into it and a kill by CeCe Goode to tie things up at 10, forcing Penn to need a break of their own. Warsaw retook the lead afterwards, but only momentarily.
The two sides took turns holding the advantage over the next few points, trading kills and chances as the first set continued on. Late in the game, the Lady Tigers were able to get out to a two-point edge and stayed in front for their longest stretch of the game so far. Looking to slow down a ferocious Warsaw attack, Penn used its second TO down 19-17.
There was no stopping it. The home side scored three of the next four points to go up by four at 22-18. Leading the charge was Goode, who continued to dominate the game at the net. The home side kept it going from there, ending game one on a 6-1 run to win the opener 25-18.
Penn got out to another fast start in the early goings of the second set, taking an early 4-2 lead before freshman Maddie Branam stopped the bleeding with a kill. It was only temporary though, as the Lady Kingsmen were able to keep things going, doubling the lead at 8-4.
That’s how things stayed for a bit, as the Lady Tigers struggled to stack points together against the tough defense of Penn. Trailing by five at 13-8, Warsaw called timeout to reassess. It didn’t get much better afterwards, as the Lady Kingsmen lead grew to eight after the break, leading to another quick time call by Warsaw while trailing 16-8.
That didn’t help either, as the Penn run continued afterwards, with the visitors now leading by double digits. A Hollon kill finally ended it, but the Lady Tigers had plenty of work to do. A pair of aces for Branam were just what the doctor ordered, leading to five straight points by the home side to cut the deficit in half. After a third ace in four points, Penn was forced to call a timeout of their own, now leading by just four at 14-18.
Momentum remained on the side of the home team afterwards, as another burst of four in a row made it a two-point game at 20-18. The Lady Kingsmen pulled away once again with two straight points, but Warsaw stayed tight. Penn called its final timeout leading 22-20 after an ace from Lexy Whittenberger.
The comeback would be completed as Warsaw scored two straight facing game point to tie things up at 24. A kill by Chapman gave Warsaw its first lead since the opening points of the set, but things weren’t done yet. After going back and forth a couple more times, Warsaw finished off an incredible second-set comeback with a 28-26 victory to take a commanding 2-0 lead.

    Senior Maggie Hollon of Warsaw elevates for one of her kills during the second set...Nieter

“Even though we have a lot of girls on varsity, we have a lot of inexperienced girls on varsity,” Warsaw head coach Chandra Hepler said. “The more that they get opportunities to compete in tight games, the more they will be able to grow as players and get more comfortable. It’s all about getting one point at a time.”
Looking to put the visitors away, the Lady Tigers started the third set with a commanding 4-0 lead. Needing something and needing it soon, Penn answered with three straight of their own to keep things from getting out of hand. The Lady Tigers were able to keep the Lady Kingsmen at bay just enough to stay in front as the game went along until a mini burst by Penn tied things up at eight.
Things stayed tight until another run by the visitors gave them a three-point edge and led to a timeout with Warsaw trailing 13-10. The Lady Tigers were able to consistently get within a point of tying things up, but Penn was able to answer each time. Eventually, Penn was able to find some separation once again, going up four at 21-17. Having already put together one comeback earlier in the contest, the resilient Lady Tigers were able to finally even things up at 24, putting all the pressure on Penn once again.
Looking to avoid the loss, Penn responded well, scoring the next two points to win game three 26-24.
Momentum appeared to be firmly on the side of the visitors as the fourth set got going, with Penn getting out to an early three-point lead. The Lady Tigers tied things up not too much later, leading to another slow climb to the 25-point threshold. Sticking close, Warsaw called timeout down 14-12 and struggling to control.
The lead only grew for the Lady Kingsmen following the break, up to five at 18-13. That lead would stay consistent, with Penn closing in on tying things up and forcing a fifth set with a 22-17 lead.
As had been the case all night long, the late points in the set belonged to Warsaw, as the Lady Tigers closed the gap to 23-21, forcing a timeout. This time though, Penn was able to finish things off with a 25-21 victory to force a fifth and final set.
“Coming out of the huddle, I told them what has happened so far doesn’t matter, it’s all about the next 15 points,” Hepler said. “We’re not going to let Penn come into the Tiger Den and make a statement on our court. We’re tired, they’re tired. The focus has to be there.”
To the surprise of no one, margins remained razor thin as the fifth set got going. Both teams held leads early, but not for long. Warsaw was able to hold a lead for a decent stretch through the middle stages of the stretch, but was unable to pull ahead far enough to feel safe.
Finally, the run came, giving the Lady Tigers a five-point edge at 11-6. Penn was able to tighten things up, but a kill by Hollon finished off a 15-11 win to clinch the match for Warsaw.
Hollon had 18 kills while Goode had 16. Avary Hoeppner had 31 assists. Ellie Hepler had 20 digs.
Warsaw (4-4) plays at the Plymouth Powerball Tournament this weekend before beginning conference play next week.
“We love having a tough schedule because the girls expect to be in these situations against these top teams at the end of the season,” Hepler said. “They know we can play these teams as well as beat these teams.”