Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
The Warsaw volleyball team sat huddled in front of a small television in the Tiger Den after Thursday night's practice.
The Tigers and head coach Doug West intently watched the third game of the Huntington North Sectional final between Fort Wayne Northrop and the host Vikings.
Northrop is the next obstacle on Warsaw's road to a state title. The two teams square off in the morning match of the Huntington Regional Saturday at 11 a.m.
Head coach Neil Day's Bruins serve as a formidable foe for Warsaw. Their 28-8 record includes two wins over Summit City rival Snider. The Panthers, who beat Warsaw earlier in the season, were no match for a precise attack that forces opponents to play smart, solid volleyball.
West and his players respect Northrop but they don't feel it's a mismatch.
"With Northrop, what I would just say is, they are a good, athletic team. We're going to have to keep them out of system. We're going to have to play great volleyball ourselves. Provided that, we can be in a position to win the match," said West.
Many of the players on West's team also play for the girls basketball team that made a state finals appearance last year. Playoff experience may help make up for any advantage Northrop has.
"I think the girls are experienced in relation to competition in athletics and deal well under pressure," said West. "These girls had the chance to play in the regional last year. I think we're going in with a good experience base. But we are definitely going to have to step it up."
In fact, Warsaw returns all but two players from last year's squad that fell in the Muncie regional to Snider.
Gone are Michelle DeGeeter and Heather Barrett to graduation. DeGeeter is currently on Butler's volleyball roster.
Leading the way for the Tigers this year are Northern Lakes Conference All-Conference honorees Julie Seiss and Rebekah Reichard.
Reichard led the Tigers with 223 kills and 47 aces in the regular season while Seiss had 200 kills and 275 digs.
Kara Mayer and Danielle DeGeeter were named all-NLC honorable mention and add 37 and 38 aces, respectively. DeGeeter leads the team in assists with 579.
Accurate and efficent serving along with solid ball handling will be needed to upend a technically sound Northrop side.
"We need to serve effectively and avoid bad passing if we expect to win this match," said West. "I'd like to see us play the sort of match we played against Huntington North, in their gym."
The Tigers upended the Vikings 25-16, 25-16, 25-20 earlier this month.
For Northrop, the Bruins are led by setter and outside hitter Brittany Raher, who is taking her volleyball skills to Seton Hall next fall. Raher is one of the top 20 setters in the country and paces an attack that has many talented players.
Northrop is a program that routinely churns out division I talent, but the Tigers feel they can play with them.
"This regional is going to stretch us and test us but I think we'll be ready to meet that challenge. If we play in system, we can be successful," said West.
If Warsaw were able to get past the eighth-ranked in 3A Bruins, a possible match with 34-2 Muncie Central looms large. That match isn't Warsaw's main concern.
"I don't think they're thinking about Central at all. We've been talking about Northrop and looking at their scouting report. We are looking at our end and making sure we are fundamentally sound on our side of the net. I think we're all just focused on that morning match," said West. "Central is more of a David and Goliath type match for us, whereas the morning match, we need to bring about an upset by just playing solid volleyball."
Before the Tigers scouted Northrop Thursday night, West handed out T-shirts provided by the booster club for the team's sectional win.
If Warsaw can upend both Northrop and Muncie Central, hardware, not outerwear, is in the Tigers' future.
