Tuesday night's match between Warsaw and Whitko in the Tiger Den was a study in two teams who have shown flashes of good volleyball but haven't put it together for an entire match. The Tigers rode a strong team performance en route to a 25-15, 25-16, 25-18 win.

Warsaw jumped out to an early lead, 5-0. The Tigers had problems serving in the first game, allowing Whitko to close to 16-14 before the Tigers ran off a 9-1 string of points.

For Whitko and coach Brett Lyvers, the 9-1 run is indicative of the Wildcats' season.

"We have through the entire year pushed well at the start and then we just kind of go away. We haven't put our finger quite on it yet. We push to 12 or 15 and at that point, the other team leaves us. It's not a volleyball thing I think we just have to go through some stuff mentally."

In the second game it was Warsaw who came out fast and jumped to a 10-2 lead early. The Tigers improved with more serving aces and less service faults, but hit a patch midway through the second game where they allowed Whitko to climb to within range to make a run. For Warsaw coach Doug West, the remedy for consistency starts up front.

"Our blocking has to get stronger and our floor defense needs to improve as far as range. But I would say as our blocking and our floor defense improves, then we're going to be able to play a little bit faster and be more athletic. We need technically skilled volleyball players and right now we need to work on becoming technically skilled," West said.

Much like they did in their match against Northfield, the Tigers came out sluggish in the third and final game against the Wildcats. Whitko jumped out to a 5-0 lead and forced Warsaw to climb uphill the entire game. The Tigers strung together five straight points to finally tie things up at 11-11 before winning 25-18.

For West, the win helped develop depth on the roster.

"I'm happy with the win, I'm happy with the way we could get all the players on the court and help them develop and contribute," he said.

Statistically, Julie Seiss' 10 kills and six digs led the Tigers. Danielle DeGeeter led with 15 assists, while Cynthia Park had nine blocks.

On Whitko's end, Lyvers was able to take away some good performances on the night.

"I thought Jacky Arnett played super out of the back, a lot of good digs, they hit real well and she picked up a lot of loose change. Amanda Busz swung real well and Jenna Yeager played in a different position and I thought defensively she was sharp," Lyvers said.

Whitko, 2-2, on the season is still getting used to Lyvers system. Lyvers was hired on as coach just before the school year. The learning curve for both coach and players is shrinking, but it's still there.

"The volleyball itself I'm OK with. We've got a good ways to go to get where we want to be. I think we have some things to overcome mentally," Lyvers said.

The Tigers, 4-4, are in action tomorrow on the road against Goshen at 6 p.m.

WARSAW DEF. WHITKO 25-15, 25-16, 25-13

Warsaw kills - Julie Seiss 10, Tasia Smith 4, Kristen Conley 3, Kim Clay 3

Warsaw assists - Danielle DeGeeter 15, Cheyenne Runnells 9

Warsaw digs - Seiss 6, Kate Denlinger 5, Runnells 4, Clay 3, Smith 3, Rebekah Reichard 3

Warsaw blocks - Cynthia Park 9, Tasia Smith 7, Rebekah Reichard 3

Warsaw service points - Runnells 12, Kara Mayer 6, Clay 6, Lindsay Francis 5

JV - Warsaw def. Whitko 25-12, 26-24

Warsaw JV kills - Kate Denlinger 6, Jill Kreinbrink 4, Selina Long 2, Amanda Engel 2

Warsaw JV assists - Kate Miller 12

Warsaw JV digs - Jessica Sands 7, Miller 6, Long 4, Amber Addair 3, Kacie Conley 3

Warsaw JV blocks - Kreinbrink 4, Denlinger 2, Addair 2, Valerie Leek 1

Warsaw JV service points - Denlinger 8, Long 5, Conley 5, Addair 5, Miller 3, Sands 2, Engel 1, Leek 1, Kreinbrink 1 [[In-content Ad]]