Tiger spikers' offense is loaded with one-two punch of seniors Sarah Calhoun and Lisa Estep

The left side of the Warsaw offense has been the right combination for Warsaw's volleyball team this year.

That combination features senior outside hitters Lisa Estep and Sarah Calhoun taking turns at bombing opposing defenses with booming spike after booming spike.

"They are so dominant on our side of the floor that I am very glad they are on our team," Warsaw coach Jamie Byron said. "To face someone like their talent could be very frightening.

Although vastly different in their styles, the results have been the same every time the rotation changes and one of them is at the left outside hitter position.

Calhoun, a converted middle blocker, leads the Tigers this year with 335 kills and a .432 attacking percentage, while Estep is right behind with 325 kills and a .291 percentage. Calhoun seems to get the job by slipping the ball past and around opposing defenses, while Estep is about power, pure and simple.

"Lisa's hit is so powerful and Sarah is a very smart hitter, she knows exactly where to hit," Byron said. "They are very knowledgeable in the area of volleyball, and they are very court smart.

"I don't think we would have had nearly as strong a team without them," she said. "The other girls really look up to them. They know that if things get down, those are the two we are going to go to."

Having the right combination makes opposing defenses have to think about who could get the set, and with both players more than capable of putting the ball away, it has given the Tigers an edge.

"It throws the whole defense off because one person can hit harder and the other tip, and then the other way around the next time," Calhoun said. "The defense doesn't know what is coming."

The red-headed Calhoun was one of Warsaw's middle blockers last season, but after a summer of hitting on the outside in club volleyball, Calhoun found out how much she liked the outside and was switched to the outside by first-year coach Byron.

"I have worked on it a lot over the summer, and I have gotten a lot stronger," Calhoun said. "Last year, I played the middle and I didn't get a lot of sets, but I got good ones. I played outside during club this summer, and that constant hitting helped give more endurance and hit the ball harder. I enjoy it a lot more than middle. You get a lot more sets."

"I think she has done a great job on the outside," Byron said. "We didn't have a void in the middle, but we had a big one on the outside, and she has stepped in and filled in for the season."

Calhoun's worth to the Tigers was proved in a matchup with Concord during the regular season. After taking Concord apart in the first game, Calhoun went down with an injured leg and watched from the bench as Concord rallied against Warsaw and ended the Tigers' 49-match Northern Lakes Conference winning streak.

At first, Calhoun's injury appeared to be serious and many a Tiger fan, coach and player were worried as Calhoun went to the hospital. But what at first seemed to be a fracture turned out to be just a sprain and Calhoun has come back stronger than ever.

"When they carried her off the floor, we thought she was gone (for the season)," Byron said. "We tried to keep the girls positive, but we were really scared too. It was in such a weird place, we didn't think it could be anything but a fracture. I was very relieved at the hospital, and they said it was just a strain. It was a big relief to us. It would have been a big part of our team gone right there."

The players knew what the effect of losing Calhoun would have meant to the Tigers.

"When she got hurt against Concord, it was tough because she is like my second arm," Estep said. "It helps so much when she is out there with me because we are both strong outside hitters. When she is doing good, I am doing good. It just keeps the team up."

The blond-haired Estep has been the Tigers' big gun for two seasons now, but has increased her all-around game to include leading the team in aces with 50 and digs with well over 260 this year.

"They are two of my best passers as well," Byron said. "Hitting is not the only part they bring to our game."

Calhoun is second in aces and digs to Estep.

A big key of the success of the Estep and Calhoun combination has been the setting of senior Melissa Bolles. After taking over the role last year from an injured Sherry Haines, Bolles has blossomed into the kind of smart setter the Tigers needed to lead their offense this year.

"She busts her butt to get every set up," Estep said. "They are not always there, but as hitters we have to play smart and just get it in. Melissa does a great job of getting it there."

The ultimate spike is appropriately known as a kill, the shot that singes the defense and can pump life back into a team when it's down and keep a rally going as well. It isn't just a physical accomplishment, it is also a piece of mind and the ultimate rush.

"It is a great feeling," Estep said. "It is awesome. Especially if you are in a big rally, you just jump as high as you can and cream the ball. It helps bring up the intensity level on the floor. The thing that is going through your mind is put the ball down, hit the holes and get it inbounds. When it is a really good set, I just try to pound it down. If you think about it too much, you whiff or hit a tape shot. You just look at the blockers and hit the holes.

"When I get a good set, all I can think about it is jumping high and using all my momentum, reaching high and getting my arm through and hitting the ball down," Calhoun added. "You know when it is a perfect set, and you know when you are going to get a good hit. You can just feel it. That (the big spike) even helps more because the whole team and crowd are behind you, and it makes you feel pumped and hit harder." [[In-content Ad]]