The Warsaw volleyball team was unable to take down host school LaPorte in the opening round of 4A Regional 1 for the second straight season, as the Slicers exacted revenge for last year’s defeat with a 3-1 (25-20, 18-25, 21-25, 22-25) win on Saturday. The Lady Tigers wrap up the season with a 23-9 record and as sectional and conference champions.
Warsaw enjoyed a hot start to the contest, taking an early lead in what was a very close first set. LaPorte had an answer to the quick start by the Lady Tigers, going on a big run to take a four point lead and forcing head coach Chandra Hepler to call her first timeout of the game.
A plethora of unforced errors by the Slicers allowed the Lady Tigers to get back into the game. Some terrific offense from Maggie Hollon didn’t hurt either. The junior had a tremendous day hitting the ball, leading her team in kills while doing everything else she could around the court. Hollon’s offense would help her team take the lead late in the set, and after battling through the adversity of coming back, Warsaw was up 1-0 after a 25-20 win.

    Senior Leah Henderson of Warsaw makes a clean block on the kill attempt of LaPorte's Avalynn Holtz during Saturday's regional at LaPorte. Photo by Gary Nieter

Once again, LaPorte was able to get out to an early lead in game two, but the Lady Tigers were able to fight back and keep things close. This time around, it would be some errors by Warsaw that would prove to be costly, allowing the Slicers to take an 18-12 lead late. The Lady Tigers were able to use a late run to tighten things up some, but were unable to get close enough to provide drama in a 18-25 game two loss.
The all-important third set had some razor-thin margins as things began, with both teams playing some incredible ball as the points piled up. Despite some serving errors by the Lady Tigers, Warsaw was able to keep things close, coming back from a five-point LaPorte lead to tighten things up at 19-17. The comeback would fall just short though, as the Slicers would go up 2-1 with a 21-25 win in game three.
With their season now on the line, the Lady Tigers came out strong in set four, scoring the first four points and forcing a quick LaPorte timeout with a 5-1 lead. It was a massive set for Warsaw, as it looked as if the Lady Tigers had figured some things out offensively and were now cruising to a 15-8 lead. Defensively, Ellie Hepler was tremendous, leading the team in digs and saving more than a few points in the process.
Despite this, the Slicers were able to chip away, forcing Hepler to call a timeout of her own, leading 18-14. The break didn’t do much to stop the bleeding, as LaPorte continued to gain momentum, making it a one-point game at 20-19 before tying things up a point later. The game came down to the wire, but the Slicers were able to complete the comeback, taking the game, and the match, with a 22-25 win.
The Lady Tigers will return next season.