Lady Warriors come up short in semi finals of the Oakwood Regional
By Lenny Sementi
Tuscola’s volleyball team experienced both highs and lows this past week exiting the IHSA post season losing a thriller to a very good Monticello team in the semifinals of the Oakwood Regional this past Tuesday October 28. Coach Lydia Millers squad went toe-to-toe in game one with the Lady Sages falling 21-25 and then went the distance and then some in a heartbreaking overtime 30-32 defeat in set two bringing the ‘2019’ campaign to an end. The ladies in black posted win number seventeen on the year one night earlier downing Georgetown Ridgefarm in straight sets 25-15, 27-25 in the quarter finals earning the spot in the semi’s.
Seniors Karli Dean and Maddie Green did all they could to extend their postseason high school careers. Green donated forty-four assists, five digs, three kills and two aces to the cause from her setter position while Dean took full advantage of Green’s sets pounding home eighteen kills nine in each of the two skirmishes. She also delivered eight saves, four blocks, four blocks and three aces. Classmates Grace Voyles and Kyra Moyer went down fighting as well providing twenty digs, ten service points, and two aces one each in the win over Georgetown as the Warriors ended their season with a 17-13 record overall.
Green connected with Dean on three kills early in game one verse Georgetown fueling a six point run that put the Warriors in front by four a lead they would continue to build on. Green shared the wealth finding Katie Dean later in the set and also Amelia Bosch putting a double-digit buffer between them and the Lady Buffalo’s ultimately securing the first set victory. The two sophomores combined for nine kills, a block and two saves in match.
It was more of the same early in the second tussle as Green looked to the Dean sisters to control the net but this time the Buffalo’s answered with a front row attack of their own. Both teams refused to yield trading points and short runs throughout until a late push by the Warriors proved to be to much ending Georgetown’s season. Voyles led all on defense with seven digs. Junior Jessie Martin was next up with five digs while classmate Kendyl Ring added four digs and two kills to her season resume. Another third year Marissa Russo also did some damage at the net entering the official scorebook with four kills and four saves.
Tuscola fell behind early in game one but clawed its way back on the heels of a five point run midway thru the contest thanks to coach Miller’s front row attack. It was not enough as the Sages kept the status quo capturing game one. The twin towers with the last name of Dean were big in the loss to the Sages on Tuesday accounting for sixteen of Tuscola’s twenty-eight kills in the match and for blocks.
They were back at in set two continuing to attack the right side of Monticello’s defense. Ring rose above the net as well twice ending Sage offensive possessions with kills following sets from Green en-route to a five kill evening. Green led all Warriors with twenty-three assists in the match. Monticello got the last laugh breaking a 30-30 tie winning a long volley and then ended it on the next serve to move onto the regional championship.
Defensively Moyer was tops on the list collecting a few more floor burns finding her way to twelve digs. Next up was Voyles with six digs followed by Karli Dean and Hope Dietrich who each added four saves to the mix.