In a matchup Wednesday with Northern Lakes Conference rival Wawasee, consider Warsaw's varsity volleyball team Rubbermaid.

Despite everything the Warriors threw at the host Tigers, Warsaw bounced back. In the end, the Tigers came away with a 15-9, 4-15, 15-6 win.

"I felt like Wawasee took us to the limits," first-year Warsaw coach Doug West said. "Wawasee did a lot of nice things out on the court."

Said Warrior coach Jason Fleming: "All in all I'm not disapointed with the loss. I saw some good things out there."

With the three-set win, the Tigers improve to 13-4 overall and remain undefeated in the NLC with a 5-0 mark; Wawasee falls to 17-6 and 1-3 in the NLC.

Trailing 13-4 in the first set, Wawasee cut the lead to 13-9 with senior Jessie Korenstra serving. With Wawasee trying to cut the lead to three, Warsaw got the sideout on a kill from junior Krystan Klotz.

Klotz picked up another kill with teammate Ashley Hart at the service line, a kill that gave Warsaw the first-set win.

Trying to even the match at 1, the Warriors jumped out to a 12-3 advantage in the second set. Warsaw cut the lead to 14-7 before Warrior senior Kathy Likens served up the set's final point.

In a nearly packed Career Center Gym, the Tigers took an 8-1 lead in the third set with Klotz serving. Wawasee got as close as 11-5, but numerous kills by Klotz, Hart, DeFord, Michelle DeGeeter and Myra Sells carried the Tigers to victory.

Sells finished the match with 13 kills, while Hart had eight, DeFord seven, DeGeeter six and Klotz five.

"We like to get them in the offense as much as possible," West said of Sells and DeGeeter. When they're in the offense they create opportunties for the other three attackers."

Sells also tallied eight blocks, while DeGeeter and Abby Sumpter finished with six. Sumpter led the Tigers in assists with 36.

The Tigers will be in action Saturday in the eight-team Warsaw Invitational, while Wawasee plays in the Homestead Invitational Saturday.

On The Gridiron Week 6

By Times-Union Sports Staff

NO. 4 (5A) WARSAW AT GOSHEN (NLC)

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Goshen

Coaches: Phil Jensen (Warsaw), Brad Park (Goshen)

Records: Warsaw 5-0, 3-0 NLC; Goshen 2-3, 1-2 NLC

Last Game: Warsaw 41, Northridge 6; Concord 21, Goshen 17

Matchup: Ranked fourth in Class 5A, Warsaw's enters this game as one of 32 teams in the state still undefeated. Goshen comes into tommorrow's game after giving up a 10-point lead over 4A No. 3 Concord. A series that started in 1922, Goshen holds a 30-15-2 advantage over the Tigers. Warsaw, however, has won the last two meetings. Tailback Brad Seiss continues to his march to the top of the state rushing chart. Entering last week 11th in the state, the Warsaw senior ran for 219 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries. For the year, Seiss has 926 yards on 118 carries, ranking him sixth in the state at 185.2 yards per game. Classmate Grady Randall is the only other Tiger with more than 20 carries, rushing the ball 24 times for 124 yards. Junior quarterback Ryan DeGeeter has completed 30 of 63 passes for 540 yards and five touchdowns. Senior speedster Adam Sisson has 11 receptions on the year for 217 yards, an average of 19.7 yards per catch. Jay Parker led the Goshen ground game a week ago, rushing for 61 yards on 14 carries. Teammate Emil Diaz had 11 carries for 45 yards. Through the air, Redskin Thom Bernheisel was 4 of 9 for 49 yards.

Jensen: "Goshen is a very good football program. Coach Park and his guys have been there for a long time. They know what it takes to win. This year's team epitomizes the word program. They didn't have a lot of returners, but they continue to get better each week. They played a great game against Concord last week. I know it's gonna be tough, especially playing at Foreman Field. There was a lot of improvement from Elkhart Memorial to the Northridge game, especially on special teams. So far I've been pleased with this week. We've got to come ready to play Friday and limit our mistakes. We can't come out flat."

Park: "Warsaw has a very good offense. (Brad) Seiss is a tremendous athlete. (Ryan) DeGeeter does a great job of running the offense at the quarterback position. We are working on just making the plays offensively. We want to reduce our number of turnovers and score points. We need to move the ball offensively."

MANCHESTER AT ROCHESTER (TRC)

Kick-off: 7 p.m. Friday in Rochester

Coaches: Al Bailey (Manchester), Mark Miller (Rochester)

Records: Manchester 3-2, 2-1 TRC; Rochester 4-1, 3-0 TRC

Last game: Manchester 28, North Miami 0; Rochester 20, Southwood 0

Matchup: The Manchester Squires are coming off two straight Three Rivers Conference wins and looking to extend that streak to three. The Squires will look to Anthony Sorg to lead the ground game. Sorg leads the TRC with 104 carries for 529 yards, an average of 5.1 yards per carry. Dustin Westafer is fourth on the TRC rushing list with 58 carries for 365 yards (6.3 per carry). Quarterback Michael Sorg gives Manchester a strong passing game. He has completed 24 of 66 passes for 372 yards and six touchdowns. Sorg's favorite target is Farron Gaerte, who has nine receptions for 191 yards and four touchdowns. Brent Westendorf is another Squire target with five catches for 50 yards and two touchdowns. Rochester is one of two teams that are undefeated in TRC play. The other team is Tippecanoe Valley. The Zebras will look to Jeff Byers, Adam Frounfelter and Brandon Tugman to lead the ground attack. Byers averages 5.9 yards per carry, while Frounfelter adds 5.3 and Tugmans chips in 10.4. Signal caller Marcus Miller leads the TRC in passing, completing 42 of 76 passes for 596 yards and five touchdowns. Tugman is also a leading receiver for the Rochester squad with 19 receptions for 306 yards. Josh Lett is another target with 5 catches for 46 yards and a touchdown.

Bailey:Ê"Rochester is one of the best teams, if not the best team in the conference. They are an outstanding team. They will be the most balanced team we have faced. We knew Valley and Whitko were primarily running teams. I thought North Miami was balanced, but Rochester is more experienced at the skilled positions. The system is not new to them. Rochester has a lot of big play potential. They have a good offense, and they have a lot of depth so their guys can stay fresh."

Miller:Ê"I know Manchester is a big physical team. Offensively, they will continue to pound the ball at you and defensively they are the same way. They are big and physical up front. We are not doing much differently. Manchester will want a really physical ball game. We will need to work hard on both sides of the football. I think we have the advantage in speed and quickness."

NORTHFIELD AT WHITKO (TRC)

Kick-off: 7 p.m. Friday in South Whitley

Coaches: Scott Hoberg (Northfield), Bryan Sprunger (Whitko)

Records: Northfield 0-5, 0-3 TRC; Whitko 3-2, 2-1 TRC

Last game: Tippecanoe Valley 71, Northfield 7; Whitko 22, Oak Hill 0

Matchup: Northfield is coming off a 71-7 drubbing from Tippecanoe Valley. The Norsemen will look to the TRC's second-leading rusher Brad Laconfora to run the ball. Laconfora has 95 rushes for 402 yards (4.2 yards per carry). Quarterback Nathan Diener has completed 14 of 43 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite target is Chad Haupert, who had six catches for 34 yards and two touchdowns. Whitko is coming off a big win over Oak Hill, and this is homecoming week for the Wildcats. Whitko will look to junior Alan Robbins to lead the offense. Robbins has 61 rushes for 357 yards (5.9 yards per carry) and six receptions for 63 yards (10.5 yards per catch). Along with Robbins, Burl Haywood and Brandon Waterson give Whitko a three-pronged running attack. Haywood has 69 rushes for 219 yards, while Waterson has carried the ball 52 times for 205 yards.

Hoberg:Ê"Whitko is a very good football team. They are much like some of the teams we have played already. We are watching the game film after the Valley game and trying to determine how to fix what's wrong. We need to come to the ball game ready to play. If we don't do that, we will have no chance to win. If we are not prepared, they will make us play for it."

Sprunger:Ê"Northfield played well earlier in the year. Against Triton and North Miami, they played tough. They have struggled the past couple weeks. Northfield has some very good athletes. It's homecoming week here, and our main focus is to make our team better. We played better defense Friday, and offensively we got better as well. We are going to continue to work on improving ourselves."

OAK HILL AT TIPPECANOE VALLEY (TRC)

Kick-off: 7 p.m. Friday in Akron

Coaches: Bud Ozmun (Oak Hill), Scott Bibler (Valley)

Records: Oak Hill 2-3, 1-2 TRC; Valley 4-1, 3-0 TRC

Last game: Whitko 22, Oak Hill 0; Tippecanoe Valley 71, Northfield 7

Matchup: Oak Hill is looking for redemption after a 22-0 loss to Whitko last week, while Valley is trying to reamin undefeated in the Three Rivers Conference. Oak Hill will look to Chris Key and Clint Dooley for leadership on the ground. Key has 50 carries for 234 yards, while Dooley has 63 rushes for 225 yards. The Golden Eagles switch between Nick Millspaugh and Kirk Winger for quarterback duties. Millspaugh is 9-of-17 passing for 107 yards, and Winger is 3-of-15 passing for 22 yards. Jeff Sheedy leads the Oak Hill receiving corps with 6 catches for 65 yards. Tippecanoe Valley is coming off a 71-7 spanking of Northfield. The Vikings are on a four-game winning run and hope to extend it to five after this week. Valley will look to Kevin Paxton, Jon Rice and Kevin Day to lead the running game. Paxton has 55 carries 308 yards, Rice adds 57 carries for 282 yards and Day has 15 carries for 141 yards. Quarterback Davis Beyers has completed 26 of 60 passes for 453 yards and seven touchdowns. His favorite target is Trey Eaton, with eight receptions for 155 yards and three touchdowns.

Ozmun:Ê"Obviously we know Valley's record and we have seen them on film. They are a big strong team. Our main concern at this point is improving ourselves. We are not executing very well. Defensively we are giving up too many yards."

Bibler:Ê"I think Oak Hill is a much better team than their record shows. They are scrappy. They play hard and they play aggressive. They have good size. Our focus this week is to get better fundamentally. We are working on blocking and tackling. We had a few missed assignments last week, and we are working to improve upon that. Our philosophy is that no team stay the same every week. They either get better or get worse. We want to make sure we get better."

PLYMOUTH AT WAWASEE (NLC)

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Syracuse

Coaches: Tom Condon (Plymouth), Joe Rietveld (Wawasee)

Records: Plymouth 2-3, 0-3 NLC; Wawasee 2-3, 1-2 NLC

Last Game: Elkhart Memorial 25, Plymouth 19; NorthWood 42, Wawasee 16

Matchup: Tabbed as a contendor for the Northern Lakes Conference championship, Plymouth enters Friday's game at Wawasee 0-3 in the NLC, falling to Northridge, Warsaw and Elkhart Memorial. Among the injured for Plymouth is starting quarterback/defensive end Jon Slein. Replacing him is freshman Kyle Benge, who is 10 of 27 through the air this year for 140 yards. Charley Craig leads Plymouth's rushing attack with 104 carries for 555 yards and six touchdowns. Kyle Davis has caught 18 passes for 216 yards. The Warriors are led in both rushing and passing by senior quarterback Brent Doty. On the ground, Doty has carried the ball 53 times for 303 yards and seven scores. Through the air, Doty has completed 60 of 120 passes for 800 yards and five touchdowns and four interceptions. Other Warrior rushing threats include Drew Evans (57-226) and freshman Jordan Swain (19-131). Mike Ellsworth leads the receiving corps with 14 catches for 189 yards. Evans has 14 catches for 155 yards, while Bobby Likens has 11 receptions for 114 yards.

Condon: "The diversity of their offense is pretty good. If you break down and cover the pass they can hurt you with the run. Both (Brent) Doty and (Jordan) Swain run hard. They can just hurt you in so many ways. They're gonna try and spread the defense all over the field. I think Brent Doty is as good as or is the best quarterback in the conference. We need to be more consistent on offense and defense. We like to grind it out on offense and we haven't been able to do that. We've had a lot of injuries and we're not playing that well right now."

Rietveld: "Plymouth is definately hungry for a win in the NLC. They're still a good team, they've just had a lot of injuries. Because of some key injuries they're not as good as they would've been. They lost both their first and second quarterbacks in Jon Slein and Ryan Clinton. Their kids will bounce back, I know they're not gonna roll over and die. Our defense has to do the job. We did things against NorthWood we haven't done all year. We just forgot some fundamental things. We have to contain Charley Craig, who is one of the top three running backs in the conference."

TRITON AT NEW PRAIRIE (NSC)

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in New Carlisle

Coaches: Rod Wildman (Triton), Bart Curtis (New Prairie)

Records: Triton 1-4, 0-3 NSC; New Prairie 2-3, 2-1 NSC

Last Game: Glenn 33, Triton 0; Jimtown 24, New Prairie 0

Matchup: Both Triton and New Prairie enter this week after being held scoreless last week. New Prairie's 24-0 setback to state-ranked Jimtown was its first Northern State Conference loss of the year. Senior quarterback Derrick Jackson spearheads the Cougar rushing attack with 417 yards. Tyler Roberts adds 412 yards, while Brad Jasinski has 377 yards. Triton is led in rushing by sophomore Nathan Ulmer's 51 carries for 241 yards, an average of 4.7 yards per carry. Classmate Aric Hooley has 40 carries for 194 yards, while senior quarterback Steven Boyer has 180 yards and three touchdowns on 49 carries. Through the air, Boyer is 17 of 45 for 151 yards with three interceptions. Aaron Trieschman has six catches for 50 yards.

Wildman: "New Prairie has a lot of speed and quickness. They're not real big, but they get off the ball and play hard. Their offensive line fires off the ball as good as anyone I've seen. Their linemen only go between 200 and 220 pounds each, and their backs are only about 185 pounds. Like I said, they're not huge but they play hard. We're gonna work on the same thing we have been, we have to be able to score. We want to have the ball on offense and not have to play so much defense. We're gonna put some new things in and hopefully somehow be able to stay on offense."

Curtis: "When I look at Triton I see a group of kids that are competitors. They're a group of kids that probably play above what people think they can. They were only down 6-0 to Glenn with a minute to go in the first half. I see a group of kids that will give it their all every down and battle for four quarters. What they lack in depth they make up for in heart and desire. Whether it's Triton or whoever, we have to get better. We're coming down to the homestretch of the season and we have to get better for the tournament."

Tiger Kickers Pummel Huntington North

Times-Union Staff Report

HUNTINGTON - Led by Lauren Witzky and Kristi Haddad, Warsaw's varsity girls soccer team smashed host Huntington North 11-0.

Witzky finished the game with four goals and two assists, while Haddad chipped in two goals and an assist.

The win improves the Tigers to 6-2-2. Warsaw is at Kokomo today.

WARSAW 11, HUNTINGTON NORTH 0

Warsaw goals - Lauren Witzky 4, Kristi Haddad 2, Ashley Kitchens 1, Chelsea Boyd 1, Claire Beckett 1, Lindsey Anderson 1, Tracy Stump 1

Warsaw assists - Witzky 2, Kitchens 1, Haddad 1, Stump 1

GIRLS SOCCER

MANCHESTER 3, MACONAQUAH 1

Wednesday in Bunker Hill

Manchester's girls soccer team picked up its first win of the season Wednesday, topping host Maconaquah 3-1. Amy Vogel scored two goals and had an assist for the Squires. Kaitlin Van scored the other goal. Manchester is 1-5 on the season and plays at Lakeland Christian Academy Friday.

Manchester goals - Amy Vogel 2, Kaitlin Van 1

Manchester assists - Sarah Grant 1, Katy Vogel 1, Amy Vogel 1

JV - Plymouth 2, Wawasee 1

Wednesday in Syracuse

Wawasee goal - Erica Smith

Wawasee assist - Kim Hoover

Wawasee record: 0-2

VOLLEYBALL

LCA DEF. COMMUNITY BAPTIST

Tuesday

Lakeland Christian Academy's varsity volleyball team defeated Community Baptist 15-8, 15-5 Tuesday. The win improves the Cougars' record to 12-2. Kari Grossnickle tallied 16 assists and one ace for LCA, while Kristin Paulus had seven kills and an assist.

(LCA leaders)

Kills - Kristin Paulus 7, Courtney Lavender 6

Digs - Ashley Addair 9

Assists - Kari Grossnickle 16

Aces - Krista Petty, Paulus 1, Grossnickle 1

JV - Community Baptist def. LCA 15-8, 15-11

FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY DEF. WHITKO

15-8, 8-15, 15-11

Wednesday in South Whitley

Whitko's varsity volleyball team fell in three sets to visiting Fort Wayne Canterbury Wednesday, 15-8, 8-15, 15-11. Jennifer Wendel tallied two kills, six blocks, 11 digs and an ace for the Wildcats. Whitko is 3-14 on the season and plays at Wawasee Tuesday.

Whitko leaders - Samantha Miller 9 assists, 1 ace; Alicia Burelison 5 assists; Andrea Smith 4 kills, 5 blocks; Jennifer Wendel 2 kills, 6 blocks, 11 digs, 1 ace; Heather Blocher 3 aces, 8 digs

JV - Whitko def. Canterbury 15-2, 15-4

Whitko leaders - Danielle Barnett 10 points, 2 aces; Alicia Burelison 3 points, 3 aces; Jana Rowland 7 points, 3 aces

BOYS TENNIS

PLYMOUTH 3, WAWASEE 0

Wednesday in Syracuse

Wawasee's varsity boys tennis team was defeated 3-2 by Northern Lakes Conference rival Plymouth Wednesday. The loss drops the Warriors to 8-5 overall and 3-4 in the NLC. The Warriors picked up their wins at No. 1 and No. 2 singles with Evan Gerard and Scott Beasley.

Singles

No. 1 - Evan Gerard (W) def. Brandon Shanks 7-6 (7-4), 6-2

No. 2 - Scott Beasley (W) def. Brandon Curtis 6-4, 6-1

No. 3 - Eric Teall (P) def. Rosten Trobaugh 7-5, 6-2

Doubles

No. 1 - Adam Delp/Nathan Gordon (P) def. Mickey Ashpole/Logan Pilcher 6-3, 6-3

No. 2 - Josh Dietz/Jared Weidner (P) def. Joey Szynal/Ben Knisely 6-1, 6-3

FOOTBALL

Wednesday

JV - Tippecanoe Valley 20, Glenn 6

Valley rushing leaders - Luke Scripture 6-55, 1 TD; Matt Eby 17-103, 1 TD; Scott Whitworth 4-20, 1 TD

Valley tackle leaders - Eby 7, Andrew Heckaman 5 (blocked kick), Kyle Howard 3 (fumble recover, forced fumble)

Wednesday in Middlebury

9th - Northridge 14, Warsaw 6

Warsaw rushing leader - Thomas Balestri 80 yards, 1 TD

Warsaw tackles leader - Aristeo Gonzalez, Kevin Messmore [[In-content Ad]]