The set scores show the match was closer than the sweep would show, but Warsaw opened its volleyball season with a 28-26, 25-20, 25-17 win over Leo in the Tiger Den Monday night. After taking an early 8-6 lead, the Lady Tigers were outscored 10-2 to trail by six when head coach Michael Howard decided to settle his troops. “We talked in our first timeout about our ball handling,” said Howard. “Out ball handling wasn’t clean, our ball handling wasn’t good and we were giving away a lot of free points with missing on serves and just mishandling the ball.” After the timeout Warsaw found a rhythm and zapped out its own 10-2 run to take a 20-18 lead. Leo wouldn’t get any closer than two points the rest of the set, but forced the Lady Tigers to play extra points before claiming the opening set. The visiting Lady Lions opened the second set by taking a 6-2 lead, but Warsaw clawed its way back to take the lead at 11-10. After trading service points, Leo ripped off five points in a row to take a 15-12 lead. Warsaw countered with a six-point service run, saw its confidence grow, and wouldn’t give up the lead the rest of the set. The Lady Lions bolted to a 6-3 lead in the third set, but from there the Lady Tigers took control to cruise to the win. “Throughout the night we were a lot more efficient at the net. We’re got some pretty strong hitters at the net and so if we can get the ball and not be completely predictable, we can do some nice things offensively.” Howard credited his senior class with being a calming influence on the rest of the team. “Caroline (Mayer) had a great night. Just steady play. There were lots of highlights and she didn’t let a negative play turn into two or three or four negative plays. That speaks to her growth and mental toughness as a player who’s matured over four years,” Howard said. “I thought Peyton (Adamiec) was really steady. Haley Peterson may not have had her greatest night at the net, but she was strong in the back row and she handled the ball well and she was really instrumental in a service run for us. All of our seniors came in and did a great job; they were steady tonight, which is what you’d expect of them. “But, it was opening night and you never really know what you’re going to get. So it was exciting to see.” Warsaw used quickness and athleticism to counter a Leo size advantage, something the Lady Tigers may have to grow accustomed to as the season goes along. “We’re not big at the net, but we’re fairly athletic. We do have some kids who jump really well, and we try to have a little bit more ‘system’ with our blocking and our defensive approach,” Howard said. “That’s going to be important for us; to be on the same page and channeling the ball (where we want it to go). We know we’re not going to get a lot of stuff blocks, but if we can direct the ball to where our defenders are at, that will be really helpful to us.” The Lady Tigers return to action Thursday night when they host Huntington North in the Tiger Den.
