AKRON – For people who really enjoy a closely-contested volleyball match, Tippecanoe Valley’s gym was the place to be Thursday night. The Lady Vikings won a four-set match, 25-18, 23-25, 26-24, 28-26, over Triton that featured long points and plenty of ‘never say die’ attitude. “It was just neck-and-neck, and if I want to win or lose a game, I want it to be a game like this,” said Valley head coach Mallory Eaton. “You never want to get skunked or just skunk a team. “It was fun for me as a coach; I can understand being on the other end. But the excitement was great on both teams, and I felt it was a really great battle.” The first set opened with Valley getting the first five points and then separating from the Lady Trojans by running off seven straight points to make the score 24-15. Triton staved off set-point three times before giving in. In the second set, Triton maintained a two-point lead through much of the set. Valley tied the set five times, the last time at 23-all, before the Lady Trojans won the last two points to take the set. The final two sets saw eight ties each, six of those after both teams scored 19 points. The match closed out after the teams were tied at 23, 24 and 25. Triton served once to win the set, and Valley secured the win on its third match-point. Both coaches praised both teams for maintaining poise and aggressive play. Neither squad is blessed with a great deal of height, and relies on digs to keep themselves in matches. Abby Batten led Valley with 13 digs, while Triton had four players in double-digits, led by Quinn Downing’s 23 digs. “This was the best defense we’ve played all year,” Triton head coach Samantha Wiltsey said. “We were coming off a really tough loss, and I was just hoping they would get through and play every point, play hard and be aggressive. “We had a great game against West Central where we actually saw the passion and the fire to play, and I need to see that every game. I keep preaching to them risk/reward; we have to be aggressive.” Eaton said the key to a close match is to have the players compete with confidence. “With high school girls, it’s always about confidence,” she said. “When we just trust in our abilities and relax, and when they think ‘hey, I’m getting this kill,’ they get the kill. The minute they say ‘oh, no, don’t serve me or set me,’ what you think will happen. “With all the high school teams I’ve had, it’s always been ‘you can do this and you will do this,’ and if they’ve put the work in before, they’ll get the results they want. When they buy into themselves, good things happen.” Valley moved to 10-5 on the season with the win, and will host Columbia City on Tuesday. Triton takes a 4-6 overall record into its tournament in the Trojan Trench on Saturday.
VALLEY DEF. TRITON 25-18, 23-25, 26-24, 28-26 Triton: Kills – Jaela Meister 17, Nicole Sechrist 11. Brooklyn Bitting 1, Emma Ross 1, Courtney Jennings 1; Aces – Ross 4, Meister 2, Sechrist 2, Jennings 1; Digs – Quinn Downing 23, Sechrist 15, Meister 14, Hannah Wanemacher 12, Ross 9, Katie Hepler 6, Jennings 4. Valley: (leaders) Kills – Lexi O’Connell 24; Blocks – O’Connell 2; Assists – Emily Peterson 18; Aces – Sophie Bussard 2; Digs – Abby Betten 13. Records: Triton 4-6, Valley 10-5 JV: Valley def. Triton 23-25. 25-18, 15-8
