In what has become a rivalry between the two premier teams in the Northern Lakes Conference, the Warsaw and NorthWood volleyball teams met at the Tiger Den Thursday night for a game with major conference implications. The Lady Tigers were able to keep their perfect conference record alive, clinching at least a share of the NLC for the third straight year with a 3-0 win.
“At the beginning of the year we set all of our goals and the first one every year is to win the conference,” Coach Chandra Hepler said after the match. “I’m proud of the girls for sticking with it even during the lulls of the season. They’ve been focused and consistent which is a big piece of what we’ve talked about this year.”
With some palpable energy in the building, the two sides began the game by putting on a show. Each point was a war, and neither team was able to string more than a few together without the other team answering. Freshman Maddie Branam used an ace to make it 8-5 for the largest lead of either team in the early going, but NorthWood responded quickly to tighten things up once again.
As has been the case all season long, Maggie Hollon was a force to be reckoned with on the outside. More than a few kills in the early going came off of her rocket of a right arm, which kept her team in front. An ace by Lexy Whittenberger and a block by CeCe Goode on back to back plays extended the lead to five at 13-8. Not long after, the lead had grown to six at 16-10, forcing a Lady Panther timeout.
NorthWood showed poise following the break, correcting some issues that allowed the team to cut the lead down to five after a short run for the visitors. However, the Lady Tigers were able to adjust to the adjustments, going on an even longer run of their own that saw the team take a commanding nine-point lead. That would be enough for the home side to win game one 25-17 on a kill by Goode.

    Warsaw junior Avary Hoeppner bumps the ball during the third set of Thursday night's home match against NorthWood...Nieter

“We want to focus on ourselves more so than the other team. We didn’t spend too much time watching film as a team this week, because we want to make sure we ourselves are a well-oiled machine,” Hepler said. “Finding that consistency has been huge for us and you saw it tonight.”
The beginning of the second set was just as competitive as the first, as the two teams traded points with neither side able to string two together until NorthWood went up 6-4. The Lady Tigers did them one better, scoring three straight of their own to jump back in front.
It continued to be a team effort for Warsaw as more and more players continued to hear their name called. Reagan Edwards and Allison Chapman both put together key blocks. A kill by Krista Lauck made it a three-point edge. Another point by Hollon made it 13-9 and forced NorthWood to call another timeout.
As was the case the first time around, the break only led to temporary solutions, as the Lady Tigers continued to apply pressure while growing their lead some more. It would grow up to seven before the Lady Panthers finally scored another point.
This finally ignited the visitors, and they were able to get it going late in the set. Four straight points for NorthWood forced Warsaw to call its first timeout of the match, now leading by just four at 22-18. It didn’t stop the bleeding, as soon, the deficit was cut to just two. A big kill by Branam finally put the team back on the board and made it set point. With the score at 24-22 and the Lady Panthers serving, a serve out of bounds gave the Lady Tigers a huge 2-0 advantage with a 25-22 win.
For the third straight game, separation was hard to come by in the opening moments of set three. Things remained tied at 5-5 with neither team able to score more than a point in a row. This finally changed when NorthWood took the first two-point lead of the game at 8-6. Unlike the early lead the Lady Panthers took in game two, they were able to sustain it for longer, even extending it to four at 12-8 and forcing a timeout.
The pause in the action greatly benefited the Lady Tigers, as the home side scored three straight points to get within one. Soon after, a kill by Hollon tied things up at 13 all. Warsaw was finally able to jump in front after a long stretch of trailing at 15-14, though it didn’t last long. Things remained close as the two sides came closer and closer to reaching the 25-point threshold. A big block by Lauck and Edwards led to a NorthWood timeout with the home team now up two at 18-16.
Warsaw was able to extend this lead and inch closer to victory as back-to-back great serves from Whittenberger made it a four-point game. A couple of big kills from Goode brought the team even nearer, as they now led 23-19. After a Chapman kill made it match point, the Lady Tigers would eventually get there on a NorthWood serve out of bounds to finish off a 25-21 win.
Warsaw (22-6, 6-0 NLC) plays at the Elkhart Invitational Saturday.
“I feel really good about where we’re at right now. We have a great mix of upper and underclassmen. I feel like the girls are really gelling and connecting as we approach the playoffs,” Hepler said.