Two local volleyball teams began their respective seasons against each other on Tuesday night, with Tippecanoe Valley traveling to the Hardwood Teepee to take on Wawasee. All three games played were incredibly close and came down to the wire, with the Lady Warriors coming out on top with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 26-24) win to start their season.
Tippecanoe Valley enjoyed a picture-perfect start to the game, with the first point of the contest coming on an ace by senior Avery Wagoner. The Lady Vikings wouldn’t stop there, scoring the first four points of game one to get out to an early lead. Wawasee would finally get on the board on a kill by freshman hitter Jadyn Klenke, one of two ninth graders to start the game for the home team.
The first point would get some momentum going the way of the Lady Warriors, as Wawasee would go on a short run to close the gap and get within one point before Valley found separation once more. Following the second extended run of the game by the visitors, Wawasee was able to settle in and find a rhythm of their own. The first tie of the game came at the 9-9 mark, followed by the Lady Warriors taking their first lead at 11-10.
What followed was an incredibly tight game the rest of the way, as each side traded points while slowly climbing up the scoreboard toward the 25-point threshold. Neither side was able to go on the elusive run that would put them over the top, with both teams being affected by serving woes. Eventually, Wawasee’s defense would emerge as an X-factor, with some highlight-reel worthy digs allowing the Lady Warriors to take a three-point lead at 21-18, their largest of the game. However, the Lady Vikings refused to go away, scoring three straight to tie things up once again and force a timeout.
The break in action would pay dividends for the home side, as the Lady Warriors would score four of the next five points, which included an ace by senior Abby Dusek and another big kill by Klenke to finish off a 25-22 win.

    Wawasee senior Mackenzie Hackleman makes a kill during the first game as Tippecanoe Valley's Betty Shepherd attempts a block...Nieter

The momentum remained on the side of Wawasee as the second game got going, with the home team scoring five of the first six points. An ace by senior Hannah Truex was the last straw before Valley called timeout to stop the bleeding.
It didn’t do much, as Truex came out of break with yet another ace. The Lady Warriors would get the lead up to 7-1 before the Lady Vikings were finally able to get on the board again. Eventually, the momentum would switch sides, allowing the visitors to inch closer and closer until things were tied up at eleven.
Valley went in front for its first lead of the game at 13-12, but it was a lead that didn’t last long. Wawasee scored the next three points to go back on top. Defense continued to be a factor, with junior Danika Miller picking up some crucial blocks that turned into points for the home side.
The margins remained razor-thin as the two sides inched closer to the end of game two. As was the case the game prior, the two teams found themselves tied at 21 all. The déjà vu didn’t stop there, as the Lady Warriors were able to finish strong once again and took a commanding 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-21 victory.
After Valley began game three by scoring the first two points, Wawasee was able to answer with the next four. The game would go a while without the next big run, as the contest, which had been close for the entirety of the match, continued to be just that. The game would alternate between ties and one-point advantages until Wawasee went up by two at 11-9. Another ace by Dusek put the team up three shortly after.
Valley wouldn’t go away quietly. Two straight aces by senior Haley Durkes tied things up for the visitors at 13 all. As had been the case all match long, Wawasee had an answer, reclaiming their three-point lead with the next three points. They wouldn’t stop there, going up by five after another run.
Facing a loss to open up their season, the Lady Vikings unloaded the gas tank and gave everything they had. Scoring six straight points down 24-18 to tie things up, Valley ran out of gas at the very end, with Wawasee getting back on track to score the final two points and win the set and match 26-24.
Wawasee (1-0) is back in action Thursday on the road at Fairfield, while Tippecanoe Valley (0-1) plays their home opener Wednesday against Plymouth.