It was a senior night to remember for Warsaw volleyball, as the Lady Tigers played their final game at the Tiger Den in 2023 on Thursday night. Warsaw won the match 3-0 (25-8, 25-17, 25-12) to send its seniors off with one more happy memory, while remaining undefeated in Northern Lakes Conference play at 5-0 in the process.
Before the game, Warsaw honored its three seniors: Melaina Hawblitzel, Leah Henderson and Claire Reichenbach. When asked about what the trio has meant to Lady Tiger volleyball, head coach Chandra Hepler had nothing but praise.
“Volleyball is an extremely competitive sport, and oftentimes, girls won’t make it all the way to senior year,” Hepler said. “When they do, we want them to feel celebrated. They’ve contributed so much with their hard work and dedication, they’ve been a huge part of the culture we’re building. Plus, it’s extra special for me because this is my first group that I’ve had all four years as a head coach.”
It didn’t take long for the seniors to leave a mark on their final game at the Tiger Den. On the first point of the game, served by Reichenbach, Henderson sent a booming kill onto the court to get the scoring started. A few plays later, Henderson would give her team another point with a huge block. Not long after that, with Warsaw already rolling, Hawblitzel had two kills back-to-back that extended the lead even further.
This was only the beginning of a very strong opening set for the home side. The Lady Tigers, known for their lightning-quick offensive approach, were able to move the ball around the court with ease, setting up hitters perfectly on numerous occasions. The Lady Warriors, forced to play defensive during this stretch of play, were able to stay in the game thanks to some great defense by libero Jolie Likens, as well as a few unforced errors on Warsaw serves.
At 17-7, the Lady Tigers extended their lead to double digits for the first time in the game. Some non-senior contributors in the first set included sophomore Avery Hoeppner and junior Krista Lauck, who each added some offense up front. A couple of aces by Maggie Hollon in the final stretch would give Warsaw a 25-8 game one victory.
Wawasee got off to a much better start in the second set, going up 2-0 to start thanks to an ace by Abby Dusek. It didn’t take long after that for the Lady Tigers to get it going once again, as the home side scored the next five points to go back on top. Like the previous game, the Lady Warriors hung in there and stayed in the game, going on a long run of their own to get back within one at 10-9. A point later, Hepler would be forced to call timeout as Wawasee had tied things up.

    Senior Jaci Worrell of Wawasee goes up for a kill attempt during the second set of Thursday night's game at Warsaw. Photo by Gary Nieter

The timeout didn’t do much to stop the bleeding, as the visitors continued their strong play following the break, with Dusek piling up aces as the Lady Warriors’ lead grew to three. Now trailing for the first time in the match, a switch seemed to flip for Warsaw. The Lady Tigers would score the next six points to take a three-point lead of their own, forcing Wawasee head coach Stephanie Denlinger to call time.
The Warsaw run continued after the timeout, with the Lady Tigers scoring seven of the next nine points required to win game two 25-17. It was a huge turnaround for the home side, who scored 12 straight points after going down 15-12 to come back and take the set.
“Sometimes when you win by a wide margin in the first set you can maybe lose focus,” Hepler said. “We made a few crucial errors in a row and once we fixed that up you kind of saw what this group is capable of. Maggie was huge for us serving tonight, she held it down.”
Needing just one more win to put the match on ice, the Lady Tigers worked quickly to get it in game three, scoring five of the set’s first seven points. Unlike the previous two games though, the early Wawasee run to keep the Lady Warriors in the game did not come. The home side continued to extend its lead, going up by double digits for the second time in the match at 18-8. It didn’t take long after that for the Lady Tigers to finish it off, as the team rolled to a 25-12 victory to sweep the match.
After hosting and playing in the Warsaw Invitational this weekend, Warsaw plays its next conference game Thursday at NorthWood, a contest that will most likely determine the NLC champions.
“We feel great. Our goal every season is to win the conference and our girls are ready,” Hepler said. “We’ve been playing some of our best ball these last few weeks. The waiting is the hardest part. If we could play them right now, we would.”