Lady Wildcats top Wawasee in third annual pink out match
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SOUTH WHITLEY — Celebrating its third annual Pink Out match, the Whitko volleyball team didn’t only raise money for Kosciusko and Whitley County Women’s Health Funds, but also defeated Wawasee in four games, 25-18, 26-24, 25-27, 25-22. Improving to 9-13 on the season, the Lady Wildcats have matched their win total from a year ago, which also matches their most wins since 1998. “We’re not at a .500 season or anything like that, but this is good for us,” Whitko coach Brandy Smith said of defeating a Northern Lakes Conference team to reach win No. 9. “We’ve been working really hard the last several years to turn the program around, and we’re finally seeing that growth with every year.” A major reason for that growth is the senior class of Tressa Keim, Elaine Warner, Delaney Ray and Maddie Gawthrop. Warner led the team with 38 assists and 24 digs against Wawasee, Gawthrop had a team-high 12 kills and five aces to go with two blocks and Keim had 23 digs. “When they’re working together and all four are on the same page, we can do things like this,” Smith said. Keim’s biggest moment came at the end of Game 2, when her team trailed 24-22. After getting a kill that barely nipped the line, Keim then took over the serve, starting with an ace, which was followed by a kill by sophomore Kaitlyn Reed and the match point when the Lady Warriors couldn’t return her serve. Keim’s stretch put her team up 2-0 in the match, and gave it enough of a cushion as Wawasee won the third game 27-25, but couldn’t keep up in Game 4. “Of course Tressa comes up to serve, and she’s been struggling with consistency,” Smith said. “But she did that other night too, serving four-straight points on game point. So, she can do it when that point is right there. I was really proud of her for being able to pull through.” The comeback victory in the second game was a welcome sign to Smith, who’s seen her team fold in similar situations this season. “We got down a couple of points, and that’s something we’ve struggled with – just coming back from that and keeping the energy up,” she said. “They were able to turn it around and not give up 10 points in a row or something like that and just give up on the game.” Along with the seniors excelling, Reed showcased raw athleticism on the front line, posting 11 kills and four blocks, but still made some mistakes that can come with youth. But with her natural ability, Smith’s able to overlook some of the mental errors. “As a sophomore, we see some inconsistencies,” she said. “She was a little flatter last night (in a three-game loss at Columbia City), but she definitely brought it tonight.” In the loss, Wawasee was led by sophomore Meghan Fretz’s eight kills, senior Alli Ousley’s 26 digs and senior Aly Anderson’s 25 digs. Both Sectional 21 teams return to action Thursday, as the Lady Wildcats travel to Fort Wayne Canterbury and Wawasee hosts Elkhart Memorial in an NLC match.
