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Too bad grit and determination don’t count on the scoreboard. If they did, the Tippecanoe Tornados volleyball team might be State Line Christian Conference champions. Although the Tornados played with passion and intensity, they were not quite good enough to come away with the title. Tippecanoe had to settle for a fourth-place finish in the conference tournament, which was played Oct. 4 at Lighthouse Christian Academy in Bloomington. The fourth seeded Tornados won their opening round match over fellow No. 4 seed John Paul II Catholic High. They then gave the No. 1 seed and eventual champion Lighthouse Christian all they could handle, and finally lost a hard-fought third place match to No. 2 seed Zion’s Hill Baptist School. “I was proud of our effort,” said Tornados coach Mary Anderson. “The girls certainly played hard, and that’s all you can ask for.” In the best-of-three games third place match, the Tornados dropped the first game to Zion’s Hill 25-13 and were three points from losing game two and the match. Caitie served an ace and two other points to give Tippecanoe a 23-22 lead that the Tornados would not surrender. Tippecanoe could not convert that momentum into a game three victory, however, falling behind 11-4 and eventually losing 15-5. In the earlier semi-final match, the Tornados played Lighthouse Christian even for much of the first two games of their best-of-five contest. Tippecanoe trailed 16-13 in game one before the Lions ripped off nine straight points to win the game. The Tornados were down 20-15 in game two but clawed back to pull to within 24-23 on an Alissa Leer service ace. Leer’s next serve sailed long, giving Lighthouse the deciding point. Tippecanoe was close early in game three, then ran out of steam to the bigger, stronger Lions, falling 25-12. In their opening round match, the Tornados defeated John Paul II Catholic 25-17, 25-20. The match featured multiple service rallies for both teams and a big Tornados comeback in game two. Tippecanoe raced out to a 9-1 lead in game one on Megan Anderson’s strong serving, but then gave the entire lead back to John Paul’s next server. The game was nip and tuck until Caitie Scott served five straight points to put the Tornados ahead 19-14. When Tippecanoe got the ball again Leer served three aces and two other points to give the Tornados the win. The road to victory was much tougher in game two. The Crusaders grabbed a 13-7 lead before effective serves again saved the day for the Tornados. When Amelia Scott scorched an ace with the score 17-17, she gave the Tornados their first lead. Tippecanoe finished on a 7-3 run to take the game and the match. For the tournament, Leer led the Tornados with 15 kills, nine assists, seven aces and two blocks, while Caitie Scott had a team-high 14 digs. Other key Tippecanoe contributors included Macy Anderson (10 kills, seven assists), Megan Anderson (six kills, six digs, six aces), Amelia Scott (11 digs) and Katie Koch (seven digs). During the post-tournament awards ceremony, Leer was honored as the conference’s runner-up in digs, with 50. Macy Anderson’s 53 kills was eight short of the runner-up position. All-Conference selections will be announced in the coming weeks. With their 1-2 record in the conference tournament, the Tornados are now 7-14 on the season. The Tornados play in the state homeschool volleyball tournament on Oct. 10 at Spiece Fieldhouse in Fort Wayne. The tournament begins at 4 p.m. Check this Web site regularly for additional information. Zion’s Hill Baptist def. Tornados 25-13, 23-25, 15-6 Tornados statistics: Kills -- Macy Anderson 6, Leer 3, Amelia Scott 2, Megan Anderson 1, Katie Koch 1. Assists -- Leer 6, Ma. Anderson 1. Digs -- Leer 2, A. Scott 2, Ma. Anderson 1, Caitie Scott 1. Blocks -- Leer 1. Aces -- Koch 3, Me. Anderson 2, C. Scott 2. Tornados record: 7-14 Lighthouse Christian def. Tornados 25-13, 25-23, 25-12 Tornados statistics: Kills -- Alissa Leer 6, Megan Anderson 3, Macy Anderson 2, Amelia Scott 1. Assists -- Ma. Anderson 4, Leer 2. Digs -- Caitie Scott 7, Katie Koch 6, A. Scott 6, Me. Anderson 5, Ma. Anderson 3, Leer 1. Blocks -- Me. Anderson 1, Leer 1. Aces -- Leer 1, A. Scott 1, C. Scott 1. Tornados record: 7-13 Tornados def. John Paul II Catholic 25-17, 25-20 Tornados statistics: Kills -- Alissa Leer 6, Macy Anderson 2, Megan Anderson 2, Katie Koch 1, Amelia Scott 1. Assists -- Ma. Anderson 2, Koch 1, Leer 1. Digs -- Caitie Scott 6, A. Scott 3, Leer 2, Ma. Anderson 1, Me. Anderson 1, Koch 1. Blocks -- Koch 1. Aces -- Leer 6, Me. Anderson 4, A. Scott 2, C. Scott 2, Koch 1. Tornados record: 7-12 Write Comment (0 comments) |