Just Like They Remembered
SYRACUSE – The matchup between Tippecanoe Valley and Wawasee has seen some epic finishes and wild scorelines in recent vintage. Tuesday’s volleyball clash provided another page in the chapter in what has been a healthy early-season test for both teams.
Valley would go to its anchor, Sophie Bussard, time and time again to thwart Wawasee runs and start ones of its own. When Wawasee keyed on the senior sensation, others stepped forward to help the Vikings to a 3-1 victory at the Hardwood Teepee.
Valley found its stride late in game one, using five points from Bussard on service to take a 16-11 lead and getting a big kill from Makenzie Woodcox to nail down a 25-16 game one.
“Buss is just a competitive kid,” said Tippecanoe Valley head coach Mallory Eaton. “It doesn’t matter what it is, she is going to put it all out on the line. So we feed her. But the thing I liked about tonight was that I dressed 18 kids and got to play them all. I put so many people in places, and for me, that’s exciting because a lot of other kids contributed. It’s nice to have that stud player we can ride, but I liked to see the others putting in work, too.”
Game two would go the way of the Warriors. Racing out to an 8-1 lead, Wawasee took advantage of poor serve reception and passing from the Valley backline. The lead increased to a 13-3 bulge before Valley would recover. A key umpire call kept the momentum in Wawasee’s favor, where Woodcox was ruled to have been in the net on a rally that would have made it 17-12. At 18-11, Wawasee continued on and finished the game with an emphatic 25-14 scoreline.
“The first set was tough to drop, but one of the things I told them was that Tippy was going to show up and play right away,” stated Wawasee head coach Kayla Riportella. “They had to be ready for that. After losing it, we woke up and went out with purpose in the next set and took charge.”
The experience and depth of Valley showed in game three, but so did the scrappy disposition of Wawasee. Neither team led by more than five points, which was Valley at 22-17. The Vikings were serving for game point at 24-22, but a spar into the net forced a replay of the point, to which Wawasee won and rallied to tie at 24 with a kill from Peyton Rookstool and big block from Janae Hapner. Valley would recover, finding space for a 27-25 win in the swing game that changed the tone of the match.
“My setters were making smart decisions tonight, and my hitters were following through,” Eaton said. “We’ve got three different setters that all are thrown in the mix, and they all perform differently. Against bigger teams, they are going to be very important to us, and they made some nice plays for us tonight.”
In what has been the case recently in the rivalry, Valley found a way to close it out. Bussard got a couple big kills and the play of Rachel Randall on the outside and Shayleigh Shriver on the backline helped Valley finish off Wawasee in a 25-20 game four final.
Bussard’s night saw her ring up 15 kills, 13 digs, four blocks and four aces. Hannah Engstrand and Sarah Myers each had 11 assists.
Madison Simmons had a big hand in Wawasee’s run, leading the team with 10 kills and adding eight digs. Liz Kleopfer showed big improvement from a year ago, totaling 17 assists, nine digs and seven kills. Brooke Heche worked the backline to the tune of 12 digs.
“Madison is becoming a big part of the team and brings an intensity level we need,” Riportella said. “Liz has come a long way from her freshman year. As a sophomore, she was a young setter that was trying to find her way. This year has been a big step for her so far, she is really coming along.”
In the JV matchup, Valley came through with a 25-17, 25-22 win. Brayden Baney had five aces for Valley while Emma Dippon had four kills and three blocks and Delaney Hare notched five digs and three kills to pace the Lady Warriors.
Valley (1-0) returns to action Wednesday at home versus Plymouth while Wawasee (1-1) heads to Lakeland Monday night.