NORTH MANCHESTER — Knowing she had the better team, Tippecanoe Valley volleyball coach Mallory Eaton was pleased with how her team came out in a sweep of the host Manchester Lady Squires Thursday. Opening the match with a commanding 25-11 victory in Game 1, the Tippecanoe Valley Lady Vikings (13-4, 3-0 Three Rivers Conference) didn’t let up, winning the next two games 25-21 and 25-15, respectively, over Manchester (1-17, 0-3 TRC). Despite the sweep, Eaton did find some wrinkles, although the first-year coach is still trying to figure out how to iron them out. “We waver a little bit,” she said. “I blame it on them being high school girls and they get a little carried away, but we reel it back in. It’s just trying to control those moments when we kind of get out of the game when we’re not totally focused.” A lack of focus may also explain the Lady Vikings’ 10 service errors, which didn’t hurt against the 1-win Lady Squires, but may down the line. “Some of them are good misses, and what I mean by that is they’re just a foot out,” Eaton said. “I’ve been pushing them to serve more aggressively, so there’s going to be times when there’s some missed serves. But there’s been too many. They have to be very far and in-between.” And on down the line is the tough portion of the Lady Vikings’ TRC schedule. Valley is off until Thursday’s conference home match against Class 2A No. 16 Northfield, while Class 2A No. 9 Rochester awaits Oct. 3 and its TRC match against Class 2A No. 5 Southwood is Oct. 15, following an Oct. 9 match against Whitko. “Rochester, Northfield, Southwood – they’re all fantastic programs,” Eaton said. “We’re really going to have to dig and play perfect to compete with those teams.” Against Manchester, the Lady Vikings didn’t have to be perfect, but Eaton did see her team distribute the ball perfectly. Led by senior Sara Alexander’s eight kills, Valley also got seven from junior Caylie Teel and six from senior Kelsey Ball, as well as three each out of junior Tenaya Shull, junior Jade Hoffman and freshman Anne Secrest. “I don’t want them to be able to pick on one hitter (to shut down),” Eaton said. “I told them, ‘If somebody’s off, someone else has to be there to pick her up.’ I thought Sara Alexander was consistent. She doesn’t have to hit the ball straight down, she just placed every single ball. That’s what I need. If we only have one go-to, we’re going to get shut down. Everybody has to pick up the slack. It’s a job that everybody has to do.” Also for Valley, Teel led the team with three aces and 11 digs, while senior Kelsey Eckert was the top passer, posting 12 assists. Manchester also has a first-year coach in Rebekah Brown, but instead of looking forward to tough TRC matches, she’s just trying to get wins, as her team’s dropped 14-straight matches going into Saturday’s Leo Invitational. “I’m a little frustrated, but we tried some new things tonight,” Brown said. “We’ve got a lot to work on, but like I’ve said all season, we’re a young team that is still gaining experience. We’re still trying to get them used to what it’s going to be like to play against competitive teams like Tippecanoe Valley. Sometimes you go into a match knowing it’s going to be tough, so do you try to give more players a chance to play to get experience? I really had to work to figure out how I was going to do my lineup.” She opted to get some girls experience, starting freshmen Rae Bedke and Ellie Milam, as well as front-row sophomores Corrie Osborne and Kendra Binkley. Bedke finished with a team-high 17 assists, while Binkley led the team with six kills. Another freshman that didn’t start, but did perform well, was Cierra Carter, who had five kills and five digs. “Tonight was the first time I had Cierra Carter play all the way around,” Brown said. “It’s the first time I’ve had any of my hitters play all the way around. So far, I’ve had hitters just play front row because I have enough passers to play in the back row. But Cierra has been a very good, consistent player. She doesn’t always have real flashy nights, but she’s always consistent. I figured she had earned the chance to show off her passing a little bit.” Eaton isn’t experimenting with her lineup, instead hoping it continues to get better with each match. If they can compete with some of the top 2A teams in the state, the Lady Vikings could be competing for their first TRC crown. “These girls have always been okay with taking the backseat, but we want conference,” Eaton said. “These girls wake up after dreaming about conference. They’re making posters and putting them on their bedroom doors about wanting conference. I like being the underdog. I think it will be good for us. We have our work cut out for us.”
TIPPECANOE VALLEY DEF. MANCHESTER 25-11, 25-21, 25-15 Aces – Caylie Teel (TV) 3, Cali Spann (M) 2; Assists – Rae Bedke (M) 17, Kelsey Eckert (TV) 12, Tenaya Shull (TV) 8; Blocks – Madison Isbell (M) 1.5; Digs – Teel (TV) 11, Marret Metzger (M) 6, Jaden Biddle (TV) 5, Cierra Carter (M) 5; Kills – Sara Alexander (TV) 8, Teel (TV) 7, Kelsey Ball (TV) 6, Kendra Binkley (M) 6, Carter (M) 5, Sydney Snep (M) 3 Records: Valley 13-4 (3-0 TRC), Manchester 1-17 (0-3 TRC) JV – Manchester def. Valley 25-11, 25-18 JV Stats: Aces – Hallie Sorg (M) 4, Ali Casper (M) 3, Abby Betten (TV) 3; Assists – Maddy Henninger (TV) 7, Casper (M) 5; Digs – Leiah Brandenburg (M) 10, Celina Carter (M) 9, Mila Smalley (TV) 9; Kills – Rachel Cave (M) 3, Madi Miller (TV) 3
