Rally Lifts Volleyball To Victory Over Glenn
By Scot Shearer | Aug 18, 2022 12:29 PM
LAKEVILLE, IN. - When you've been around the game and know your team, a coach sometimes knows the right things to say to get everyone refocused. After watching her team trail for much of the first set Wednesday against neighborhood rival John Glenn, LaVille head volleyball coach Pat Whiteman-Gring had a word with her team heading into the second set. The Lancer team heard their coach, made some adjustments and proceeded to bounce back from the initial set loss for a 3-1 victory over the Falcons. "After losing the first set my message to them was they were better than that and they needed to get the job done," said Whiteman-Gring. "Coaching the girls every day, I see things that don't always translate to the game court, and that's frustrating to me. I've witnessed some amazing improvements and some great play. There's a level of play I expect from them and when they rise to that expectation, we see a comeback win like we did with John Glenn." In set two, LaVille jumped out to leads of 10-4 and 15-11 en route to a thrilling 25-23 victory. "The level of play between set one and two definitely improved but I think hanging on for the win with the score so close, really energized the girls and fired them up for that third set," explained Whiteman-Gring. "Each girl had a solid performance! Caitlyn Goffinet had a run of great serves to extend our lead and Karisma Lewis added four well placed serves to wrap up that set." The Lancers used the momentum from set two to get things going in the third set. Whiteman-Gring's crew got off to leads of 9-5 and 15-5 and steadily provided scrappy defense and a variety of attacks to pick up a 25-12 victory. With LHS leading 2-1 and going to the fourth set, the two clubs battled the entire set. Goffinet served up an ace on match point that sent LaVille Volleyball into jumping, clapping, and excitement that soon followed by the LaVille Student Section hitting the floor to join the celebration. "Glenn is such a good opponent," concluded Whiteman-Gring. "So this win means a lot if we use that momentum for a win with Bethany Christian tonight." LaVille, who improved to 3-3 overall, was led by Lucy Sherk with six kills. Ava Fuchs and Lily Smith helped a balanced net attack with five kills each. Sherk and Smith both picked up a block. Elaina Borton handed out nine assists, while Kate Aschenbrenner chipped in with six. Goffinet served up a couple of aces, while Emma Mears led the defense with 11 digs. Borton added 10 digs. The Lancers are scheduled to travel to Bethany Christian August 18. The Bruins are 1-0 after coming off a 3-1 win over Jimtown on August 16. The junior varsity match is scheduled to serve at 5:30 p.m., with the varsity match to follow.