AKRON – One team’s thriller can be another team’s disappointment, and such was the case in Whitko’s 25-21, 20-25, 25-20, 13-25, 17-15 Three Rivers Conference volleyball win over Tippecanoe Valley Wednesday night. The Lady Wildcats were thrilled they were able to overcome losing one of their best players, Kaitlyn Reed, to a left ankle sprain midway through the third game. Her status for the remainder of the season is uncertain, according to her coach and mother, Jamie Stidham. After Valley won Game 4 handily and had leads of 12-9 and 14-12 and serving for the match, Whitko won four of the last five points to take the match. “Those girls had so much heart and determination that they were going to win. And they did. They put everything they had on that court, and it was amazing,” Stidham said. “When you lose your star player, a lot of teams would have been done, but these girls didn’t quit. They were determined, they came to play, and they did it.” On the other hand, the loss was a bitter pill to swallow for the Lady Vikings. While it’s been an emotionally challenging week for everyone at Valley, head coach Mallory Eaton was looking for more from her team at this stage of the season. “I’m really disappointed in our play. I’m OK with it being point-for-point for five games, but I don’t think by any means that was our best play,” she said. “At the end we picked it up there, but I think ‘disappointed’ is the only word that comes to mind right now, because it was an all-around shared lack of effort. “It’s really frustrating because you know your potential, and you know what you’re capable of, and when you don’t play at that level, you sit there racking your brain as to why. “I know it’s been a tough week, but you’ve got to try and keep pushing on. You can’t change the past, you can’t change what’s happened, but you can start making the future better. I feel like tonight we just didn’t show up at all. Even if we would have won, this isn’t the way it should turn out, by any means.” Before her injury, Whitko’s Reed had 18 kills, still enough to lead both teams in the category. Haley Yohe was credited with 39 assists in the contest. Whitko will take a 20-7 overall record into its invitational on Saturday. The Lady Vikings’ Maddy Henninger recorded 37 assists, and Lexi O’Connell led Valley with 17 kills and 25 digs. The Lady Vikings have a 17-10 record and will host Southwood on Tuesday. NOTES It was “Block Out Cancer” night at Valley, with both teams wearing different shades of pink uniforms for the match. The Lady Vikings also sports green wristbands with “Bibs” stitched in yellow in memory of former football coach Scott Bibler. A moment of silence was held before the national anthem was played. Fans and players from both schools cheered when it was announced the Chicago Cubs were leading Pittsburgh 3-0 in the third inning. WHITKO DEF. TIPPECANOE VALLEY 25-21, 20-25, 25-20, 13-25, 17-15 Whitko (leaders): Aces – Emily Hughes 2, Haley Yohe 2, Emily Day 2; Assists – Yohe 39; Kills – Kaitlyn Reed 18, Day 10, Whitney Marsh 9, Lyndsey Sapp 5 Tippecanoe Valley (leaders): Aces – Sophie Bussard 2, Kayla Scott 2; Assists – Maddy Henninger 37; Digs – Lexi O’Connell 25; Kills – O’Connell 17 Records: Whitko 20-7 (6-3 TRC), Valley 17-10
