Warsaw Spikers Fall To Memorial
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
Falling to Class 3A No. 6 Mishawaka Marian in three games (25-21, 25-20, 25-12) Monday at home, the Warsaw Lady Tigers looked to shake that off against their rival Elkhart Memorial Thursday at the Tiger Den, but fell in four games, 26-24, 10-25, 25-17, 25-18.
A year ago, Warsaw wrestled the Northern Lakes Conference away from Memorial, snapping the Chargers’ 76-match win streak in NLC play, claiming the title for themselves.
Memorial did avenge that loss with a win in the sectional semifinals, but Thursday’s victory put it back in the driver’s seat for the conference crown, which is the way coach Jacquie Rost likes it.
“It matters to a lot of girls,” Rost said, referring to the numerous e-mails she received this week from former players, urging the current team to reclaim the NLC.
Like Warsaw, Memorial also suffered a three-game sweep to Marian (25-12, 25-15, 25-21) on Aug. 22, but had a week to prepare for the NLC opener, while Warsaw had three days.
Rested or not, Warsaw coach Mike Howard saw his girls were a step slower than their Memorial counterparts, which left him searching for answers after a long postmatch conversation with the team.
“I don’t know if they played more consistent, but they played harder,” he said of Memorial. “It’s very disappointing. To say the least. They have three or four different girls on the floor, we barely get one. They aggressively pursue balls, we watch balls. They play in their system, we still struggle to understand what the plan is. That’s troubling for some players that are multi-year starters.”
Things started off pretty well for the Lady Tigers.
Playing a predictably tight Game 1, the teams played nip-and-tuck down the stretch, with the Lady Tigers leading at 23-22 following an ace by freshman Cassie Hoag, then 24-23 after a kill by senior Laura Craig.
One point away from capturing the opening game, Warsaw instead watched as two kills by Memorial sophomore Darrien Mowery sandwiched a lift call, delivering the game to the visitors.
Instead of dwelling, Warsaw reeled off 13-straight points in the second game, transforming a 5-4 lead into a 18-4 advantage, which it used to win the game 25-10.
In the second game, Memorial seemed completely overwhelmed, but Howard knew better and he could only hope his girls felt the same way.
“I think that game was an aberration,” he said. “You’re not going to go on a service run like that, to tell you the truth. That just happens sometimes. You don’t read anything into it, and you hope they don’t. You hope they carry the momentum, but forget that set, because you know Memorial’s going to come out ready to go on to the next set.”
If the girls didn’t forget the second game blowout during the break, they certainly did once Memorial jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the third.
Getting off to the fast start, Memorial never looked back, taking a 2-1 match lead with a 25-17 victory in Game 3.
“I’m just really proud of how this team came back after completely imploding in the second set,” Rost said. “I just don’t know how else to word that. We got beat on tips (in Game 2). I could have had a sixth grade team tipping at them and they would have beat us. I’m not trying to take anything away from Warsaw. They were smart and it worked. I would have kept doing it too.”
Senior Chelsea Bettis also helped turn things around for the Chargers, posting five of her team-high 13 kills in Game 3.
“She's been a huge emotional leader for us, because she can do really dynamic things,” Rost said of Bettis, who also had a match-high 2.5 blocks. “We said, ‘We need to get her the ball, so you have to pass to the setter so she can get the ball.’ That’s what they did, and our defense and ball control got a lot better.”
Warsaw rediscovered its fight in the fourth game, drawing to a 14-14 tie after a kill by junior Katie Voelz, one of her match-high 14, the same amount as Craig.
However, Memorial reclaimed a lead it wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the night on a block by junior Tailor Schultheis, going on to win the game and the match with a 25-18 victory.
“I thought we broke down at crucial points,” Howard said. “We broke down early in Game 3, we broke down a little bit late in Game 1, when we have important parts of the match. Then, we broke down at the end of Game 4.”
The two losses this week have helped Howard learn more than he could after the 5-0 start.
“When we get rolling from the service line, we’re awfully good, but we struggle when any type of pressure is applied to us,” he said. “It’s easy to play when you're up 10. It’s trickier to play when you’re in a tight match and you’re down five or six.”
Finding that mindset of playing as well during the low times as you do during the high times is something Rost has preached with her teams, which has resulted in a lot of success.
“I think in the end, typically, the team that keeps its composure and just plays disciplined and focuses on technique wins,” she said. “When you get on that emotional roller coaster, which is easy to do, you don’t typically win.”
The two teams could potentially face off again at Sept. 21’s Michigan City Invitational, as well as at the sectional, which will be played at Warsaw this season.
Before worrying about what he’ll do different the next time the two meet, Howard’s looking to re-evaluate his team’s personnel for Thursday’s NLC match at home against Goshen.
“We clear the slate,” he said. “We’re trying to find a lineup that will function right when pressure’s on. I’m not sure where we start with that.”
ELKHART MEMORIAL DEF. WARSAW 26-24, 10-25, 25-17, 25-18
Aces – Laura Craig (W) 4, Madison Robinson (M) 3, Cassie Hoag (W) 3, Ally Roskos (M) 2; Assists – Hoag (W) 48, Tori Mills (M) 38; Blocks – Chelsea Bettis (M) 2.5, Tailor Schultheis (M) 2, Darrian Mowery (M) 2; Digs – Roskos (M) 18, Welter (M) 17, Peyton Adamiec (W) 15, Kaylin Szucs (M) 13, Hoag (W) 11; Kills – Voelz (W) 14, Craig (W) 14 Bettis (M) 13, Mowery (M) 10, Schultheis (M) 7, Roskos (M) 7
Records: Memorial 2-1 (1-0 NLC), Warsaw 5-2 (0-1 NLC)
JV – Memorial def. Warsaw 25-22, 22-25, 15-10[[In-content Ad]]
Falling to Class 3A No. 6 Mishawaka Marian in three games (25-21, 25-20, 25-12) Monday at home, the Warsaw Lady Tigers looked to shake that off against their rival Elkhart Memorial Thursday at the Tiger Den, but fell in four games, 26-24, 10-25, 25-17, 25-18.
A year ago, Warsaw wrestled the Northern Lakes Conference away from Memorial, snapping the Chargers’ 76-match win streak in NLC play, claiming the title for themselves.
Memorial did avenge that loss with a win in the sectional semifinals, but Thursday’s victory put it back in the driver’s seat for the conference crown, which is the way coach Jacquie Rost likes it.
“It matters to a lot of girls,” Rost said, referring to the numerous e-mails she received this week from former players, urging the current team to reclaim the NLC.
Like Warsaw, Memorial also suffered a three-game sweep to Marian (25-12, 25-15, 25-21) on Aug. 22, but had a week to prepare for the NLC opener, while Warsaw had three days.
Rested or not, Warsaw coach Mike Howard saw his girls were a step slower than their Memorial counterparts, which left him searching for answers after a long postmatch conversation with the team.
“I don’t know if they played more consistent, but they played harder,” he said of Memorial. “It’s very disappointing. To say the least. They have three or four different girls on the floor, we barely get one. They aggressively pursue balls, we watch balls. They play in their system, we still struggle to understand what the plan is. That’s troubling for some players that are multi-year starters.”
Things started off pretty well for the Lady Tigers.
Playing a predictably tight Game 1, the teams played nip-and-tuck down the stretch, with the Lady Tigers leading at 23-22 following an ace by freshman Cassie Hoag, then 24-23 after a kill by senior Laura Craig.
One point away from capturing the opening game, Warsaw instead watched as two kills by Memorial sophomore Darrien Mowery sandwiched a lift call, delivering the game to the visitors.
Instead of dwelling, Warsaw reeled off 13-straight points in the second game, transforming a 5-4 lead into a 18-4 advantage, which it used to win the game 25-10.
In the second game, Memorial seemed completely overwhelmed, but Howard knew better and he could only hope his girls felt the same way.
“I think that game was an aberration,” he said. “You’re not going to go on a service run like that, to tell you the truth. That just happens sometimes. You don’t read anything into it, and you hope they don’t. You hope they carry the momentum, but forget that set, because you know Memorial’s going to come out ready to go on to the next set.”
If the girls didn’t forget the second game blowout during the break, they certainly did once Memorial jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the third.
Getting off to the fast start, Memorial never looked back, taking a 2-1 match lead with a 25-17 victory in Game 3.
“I’m just really proud of how this team came back after completely imploding in the second set,” Rost said. “I just don’t know how else to word that. We got beat on tips (in Game 2). I could have had a sixth grade team tipping at them and they would have beat us. I’m not trying to take anything away from Warsaw. They were smart and it worked. I would have kept doing it too.”
Senior Chelsea Bettis also helped turn things around for the Chargers, posting five of her team-high 13 kills in Game 3.
“She's been a huge emotional leader for us, because she can do really dynamic things,” Rost said of Bettis, who also had a match-high 2.5 blocks. “We said, ‘We need to get her the ball, so you have to pass to the setter so she can get the ball.’ That’s what they did, and our defense and ball control got a lot better.”
Warsaw rediscovered its fight in the fourth game, drawing to a 14-14 tie after a kill by junior Katie Voelz, one of her match-high 14, the same amount as Craig.
However, Memorial reclaimed a lead it wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the night on a block by junior Tailor Schultheis, going on to win the game and the match with a 25-18 victory.
“I thought we broke down at crucial points,” Howard said. “We broke down early in Game 3, we broke down a little bit late in Game 1, when we have important parts of the match. Then, we broke down at the end of Game 4.”
The two losses this week have helped Howard learn more than he could after the 5-0 start.
“When we get rolling from the service line, we’re awfully good, but we struggle when any type of pressure is applied to us,” he said. “It’s easy to play when you're up 10. It’s trickier to play when you’re in a tight match and you’re down five or six.”
Finding that mindset of playing as well during the low times as you do during the high times is something Rost has preached with her teams, which has resulted in a lot of success.
“I think in the end, typically, the team that keeps its composure and just plays disciplined and focuses on technique wins,” she said. “When you get on that emotional roller coaster, which is easy to do, you don’t typically win.”
The two teams could potentially face off again at Sept. 21’s Michigan City Invitational, as well as at the sectional, which will be played at Warsaw this season.
Before worrying about what he’ll do different the next time the two meet, Howard’s looking to re-evaluate his team’s personnel for Thursday’s NLC match at home against Goshen.
“We clear the slate,” he said. “We’re trying to find a lineup that will function right when pressure’s on. I’m not sure where we start with that.”
ELKHART MEMORIAL DEF. WARSAW 26-24, 10-25, 25-17, 25-18
Aces – Laura Craig (W) 4, Madison Robinson (M) 3, Cassie Hoag (W) 3, Ally Roskos (M) 2; Assists – Hoag (W) 48, Tori Mills (M) 38; Blocks – Chelsea Bettis (M) 2.5, Tailor Schultheis (M) 2, Darrian Mowery (M) 2; Digs – Roskos (M) 18, Welter (M) 17, Peyton Adamiec (W) 15, Kaylin Szucs (M) 13, Hoag (W) 11; Kills – Voelz (W) 14, Craig (W) 14 Bettis (M) 13, Mowery (M) 10, Schultheis (M) 7, Roskos (M) 7
Records: Memorial 2-1 (1-0 NLC), Warsaw 5-2 (0-1 NLC)
JV – Memorial def. Warsaw 25-22, 22-25, 15-10[[In-content Ad]]
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