David Hughes
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
Terre Haute South jumped to a quick 2-0 lead in their home high school volleyball match vs. Sullivan, riding a 20-3 run at the outset of game one and a 11-0 run in the middle of game two.
However, with the exception of a 8-0 run, the Braves struggled the balance of game three, mostly of their own doing with numerous unforced errors. Sullivan was poised to extend the match to a fourth game, holding a precarious 23-22 advantage.
But a kill by Taylor Hayne forced a tie, then consecutive service aces by Sloan Stephens enabled the Braves to a finish off a 25-8, 25-13, 25-23 victory on Tuesday.
“We started out right where we needed to be, right where we left off [last] weekend in Avon,” South coach Maddison Minnick said.
“But as we went, unforced errors and maybe a lack of enthusiasm kind of towards the end. Luckily we were able to pull it out. Felt like those down-to-the-wire in third games … not a whole lot of reason for it. But I am proud of the girls for coming back and fighting and finding a way to score at the end.”
South needed just 10 minutes to grab a 1-0 lead, using a trio of 6-0 runs to bust out to a 20-3 lead in game one, eventually winning 25-8.
Madison Steward had four kills, Taylor Hayne three kills, while Brittney Pink added two kills and a block for the Braves. South also served five aces, coming from four different players. Sullivan’s attack was nearly nonexistent in the first game, with only a pair of kills.
The two teams traded points at the outset of game two and Sullivan led 7-6 after a kill by Mikaela Chagnon. But a 11-0 South run, highlighted by four service aces from Steward, put the Braves in command at 17-7 and on their way to a 25-13 win.
“Had a slow start at the beginning,” Sullivan coach Jennifer Murdock said. “We need to pick it up faster. Finally by the third game, we were playing pretty good.
“Got a young group here that needs to get their confidence going a little bit faster in a match. That will do us a world of good. They have to have confidence from the beginning instead of waiting to do something good, then go ‘wait a minute, we can play’.”
As stated earlier, South dominated games one and two, but struggled in game three.
A total of eight attack errors, a net violation, and a hand violation “handed” the Arrows a gift of 10 points to assume a 14-8 lead. South rallied with a 8-0 run to lead 16-14, spurred by four service aces from Stephens.
The two teams battled down to the wire, but South scored the aforementioned final three points to close out the match.
“Our seniors did a nice job, all of them,” Minnick noted. “Just doing what they normally do. Just chipping away and leading by example.
“It’s not really normal for us,” Minnick explained her team’s problems in the third game. “Something we’re not used to dealing with a lot. But this was a good point in the season for us to see that and be able to come back and then practice hard for two weeks before we play again.”
South’s attack was paced by Steward and Hayne with 13 and 11 kills, respectively. Stephens led with eight aces, with Hayne serving five aces.
“We were playing much more aggressive in the third game and taking advantage of the errors from the other team,” Murdock said. “Making them give us errors. We need to do more of that.”
South improved to 6-3 on the season and will be idle until Sept. 10-11 at the Effingham (Ill.) Crossroads Classic. Sullivan slipped to 3-6 and will host Bloomfield on Thursday.
Sullivan 8 13 23
Terre Haute South 25 25 25
Highlights — For Terre Haute South, Taylor Lock had 6 digs; Sloan Stephens had 8 aces, 16 assists; Ashley Bazier had 12 assists; Brittney Pink had 2 blocks; Marissa Couthinho had 6 digs; Madison Steward had 13 kills, 5 aces; Taylor Hayne had 11 kills, 10 digs; Katie Moon had 6 digs.
For Sullivan, Mikaela Chagnon had 4 points, 1 ace, 12 digs, 10 assists; Jaleigh Gilham had 5 points; Bailee Powell had 4 points; Jackie Bezy had 3 solo blocks; Taylor Shake had 4 points, 1 ace, 5 assists; Brekiesha Weszely had 8 kills, 13 dig; Rhagen Smith had 11 kills.
JV — Terre Haute South won 25-10, 24-25, 15-8.
Next — Terre Haute South (6-3) will compete in the Effingham Crossroads Classic on Sept. 10-11. Sullivan (3-5) hosts Bloomfield on Thursday.
