LIGONIER – After handily winning the first set, the Tippecanoe Valley Lady Vikings’ volleyball season ended in the opening round of the Class 3A West Noble Sectional Thursday night. Valley beat NorthWood 25-13 in the opening set of the best-of-five match, but then fell 25-23, 25-20 and 25-10 to the Lady Panthers. Junior Abby Betten led the Lady Vikings with 15 kills, and freshman Sophie Bussard recorded 11 digs on the night. Senior Maddy Henninger closed out her career with 30 assists, while classmate Lexi O’Connell had three aces. Tippecanoe Valley finished the season with an 18-14 record.
Thursday in Albion Whitko opened play in the Class 2A Central Noble Sectional with a 25-14, 25-17, 24-26, 25-15 victory over LaVille Thursday. The Lady Wildcats advanced to the semifinals where they will take on Westview, a three-set winner over Fremont, at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. The Lady Warriors will bring a 27-5 record into the match. Junior Kaitlyn Reed led the way for Whitko with 22 kills, 13 digs, two aces and a pair of blocks. Senior Emily Day recorded five kills and 15 digs, and junior Haley Yohe was credited with 40 assists and a pair of kills. Junior Lyndsey Sapp added seven kills. The victory moved Whitko’s record to 20-7 on the year. With a win in the semifinals, the Lady Wildcats would play either Prairie Heights or Bremen for the sectional title at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Thursday in Waterford Mills Lakeland Christian pulled out its first set of its opening-round sectional match with Elkhart Christian, but ultimately lost the match 25-27, 25-16, 25-16, 25-13 at the Class 1A Bethany Christian Sectional Thursday night near Goshen. The Lady Cougars finished the season with a 4-15 record.
