Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
If Warsaw volleyball coach Doug West wanted his team to face a stiff challenge one last time in preperation for Thursday's sectional game, his wish was granted Monday evening.
The host Tigers won three out of four games over Kosciusko County rival Tippecanoe Valley on senior night, but the Vikings gave them all they could handle before falling 25-21, 25-17, 21-25, 25-19.
After losing the first two games, the Vikings broke a 21-all tie in the third game and went to win after a defensive point and three service points from senior Lindsay Wiley.
In the fourth game, Warsaw trailed 12-7, but was able to put together strings of points with junior Julie Seiss and sophomore Danielle DeGeeter at the service line.
With Seiss serving in the fourth game, the Tigers went from trailing 12-8 to leading 14-12. With DeGeeter serving, Warsaw turned a 15-13 lead into a 20-13 advantage.
"That's good concentration," West said of his team's serving in the fourth game. "At the end of a match, when you can serve with a pretty good pace and keep the ball on their receivers, that's good. We did a good job serving and had good ball handling."
The win improved the Tigers to 20-13, while Valley, which set a school record for wins this season, fell to 24-6.
"Valley is a very athletic team," said West. "They have nice setters and nice attackers. Coach Hutton has done a good job. They're an excellent team."
Warsaw is in action again Thursday at 7 p.m. against Columbia City in the Columbia City Sectional, while Valley drew the sectional bye and plays Fort Wayne Elmhurst at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the Wayne Sectional.
"We needed to be a little more steady," said Valley coach Jon Hutton. "We came out a little nervous with all the pressure we put on ourselves, and it showed, but I'm still proud of what we did. There's a huge rivalry between these schools and this was a great opportunity for us to play a 4A school."
Lindsay Wiley had 27 assists and 14 service points for Valley, while Holli Jackson had 16 digs and 10 kills.
For Warsaw, DeGeeter had 22 assists and nine serving points, while Rebekah Reichard led the team with 15 digs and 12 kills. Seiss finished with eight service points, eight digs, seven kills and six blocks.
WARSAW DEF. T. VALLEY 25-21, 25-17, 21-25, 25-19
(Warsaw leaders)
Kills - Rebekah Reichard 12, Kara Mayer 9, Julie Seiss 7, Cynthia Park 6, Kim Clay 4, Tasia Smith 2, Danielle DeGeeter 1, Noelle Scrafton 2
Assists - DeGeeter 22, Cheyenne Runnells 9, Reichard 1, Park 1, Seiss 1
Digs - Reichard 15, Seiss 8, Mayer 7, Scafton 7, Park 6, DeGeeter 5, Clay 2, Lindsay Franis 1, Tasia Smith 1
Blocks - Seiss 6, Reichard 6, Park 3, Clay 2, Smith 1, DeGeeter 1
Service points - Reichard 11, DeGeeter 9, Runnells 8, Seiss 8, Scrafton 8, Park 3, Mayer 3, Kristen Conley 1
(Valley leaders)
Kills - Holli Jackson 10, Amanda Wiley 9, Heather Rathbun 7
Assists - Lindsay Wiley 27
Aces - A. Wiley 2, L. Wiley 2, Rathbun 2
Digs - Jackson 16, A. Wiley 14
Service points - L. Wiley 14, A. Wiley 6, Rathbun 6
Blocks - Rathbun 4, A. Wiley 3, L. Wiley 2
JV - WARSAW DEF. T. VALLEY 25-17, 23-25, 25-11
(Warsaw leaders )
Kills - Amanda Engel 3, Kate Denlinger 3, Jill Kreinbrink 3, Selina Long 2, Jessica Sands 2, Kacie Conley 2, Kate Miller 1, Amber Addair 1
Assists - Miller 19, Allison Reichard 4, Engel 1, Long 1
Digs - Addair 6, Denlinger 5, Long 5, Kreinbrink 3, Valerie Leek 2, Johanna Habegger 1, Annie Owens 1, Reichard 1
Blocks - Denlinger 1
Service points - Miller 13, Habegger 7, Long 7, Kreinbrink 6, Denlinger 5, Leek 3, Engel 2, Sands 1
(Valley leaders)
Kills - Mary Beth Bradford 3, Taylor Stoll 3, Chelsy Rhoades 2, Steph Hoover 2
Blocks - Bradford 2
Assists - Stoll 6
Aces - Rhoades 3, Bradford 2
Service points - Hoover 7, Rhoades 5, Bradford 5
Digs - Hoover 4, Chelsea Eaton 3, Rhoades 3
JV records: Warsaw 18-9, Valley 16-7
