Lady Tigers drop Western in four sets
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The volleyball squads from Northwestern and Western are working through scrappy seasons, struggling to keep their records above water. But those struggles were set aside on Oct. 2 for a match between the county rivals.
When the dust settled, the visiting Lady Tigers stood over the Lady Panthers in victory, three sets to one. But Western made its presence known. It opened the match with a 25-22 win in the opening set.
That intensity couldn't produce additional success, however, as a Northwestern team laden with seniors from the starters to the bench methodically outpace their opponents in the following three sets to secure the win.
Northwestern was led in most statistical categories by senior Caitlyn Pounds, who recorded 10 kills, six aces on serve, and a pair of blocked shots.
Fellow seniors Halie Koetter and Kendal Ziems each had seven kills. Koetter also managed two aces on serve, while senior Anna Bishir added four aces. Bishir also accounted for a block at the net.
On the ground, three Lady Tigers had double-digit digs. Lexi Closson led with 23 digs, while Koetter had 22, and Ziems registered 15 digs. Closson led Northwestern in assists with 24.
Western's attack was led by junior Caitlyn Sylvester with 15 kills. Senior Rhiana Bowman added 10 kills. Junior Brynley Erb had a successful night at the service line with eight aces.
Defensively, Bowman managed a pair of blocks, and junior Ellie Kretz added one of her own. Kretz led the Lady Panthers with 25 digs, but she wasn't alone in salvaging plays. Senior Reyce Gibson had 22 digs while Erb had 15 and Sylvester managed 13 digs. Kretz also led Western with 31 assists.
The win brought Northwestern back to .500 for the season with its 10th victory. However, the Lady Tigers (now 11-12) have gone 1-2 since, prevailing over Taylor, yet falling to Southwood and Eastern. They next travel to Northfield (20-8) tonight to try to improve on their 11-12 record.
Western slid back to 8-14 (now 10-16) with the loss against northwestern and since has gone 2-2 with wins against Tipton and Logansport and losses against Twin Lakes and Rensselaer Central. The Lady Panthers host Taylor (3-19) tonight, trying to notch their 11th victory.
See additional photos from this match, including galleries for each team, courtesy of Adam Hartsough, on the Lantern's Facebook page or group.