South Putnam runners-up at volleyball invitational

South Putnam sophomore Katie Hewitt (6) goes up for a spike during the Eagles Invitational on Saturday. (Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT)

South Putnam's volleyball squad had a torrid time finding wins last season. The Eagles collected a meager tally of two victories in 2012, a total that was surpassed in one day this weekend.

The hosts of the Eagle Invitational, SPHS went 3-1 at the event, defeating Turkey Run, North Central (Farmersburg) and North Vermillion before falling to champions South Vermillion on Saturday.

South Putnam head coach Deanna Long was impressed with the performance the squad showed.

"I was impressed with the girls because they kept fighting," Long said. "We got down a few times and they fought to get right back into games."

"I think today helps their confidence tremendously and we've seen it coming. They're getting better every single day and it was good to get wins and some payoff for the work."

The Eagles started the day by facing Turkey Run, whom they had scrimmaged a week ago. The time lapse was plenty of time for both squads to improve as the hosts had to fight hard for an opening 29-27 victory before winning the second set and match 25-12.

Long said the opening match caught the Eagles flat-footed but handled the change well in the second set.

"They played well," Long said. "We got off to a little bit of a slow start. We played against them in the scrimmage and they have improved. I don't think we were quite ready for that."

South Putnam's first bit of adversity came against North Central. The Thunderbirds came out firing in the second match, handling the hosts with a comfortable 25-15 first set win.

The Eagles were able to even the match at a set apiece after winning the second set 25-21 and kept the Thunderbirds at arms' length in the third set for a 25-19 victory.

After dropping their first set of the day, Long was impressed with the squad for not giving up on the match.

"One thing I love about this team is that they don't get down on themselves," Long said. "They don't start pointing fingers. They stick together and they just keep working hard."

After a break in the middle of the event, the Eagles started off brightly against North Vermillion, winning the opening set 25-19.

The Falcons dug in and ground out a second set victory 26-24 in a round where neither side had more than a three point advantage at any time.

Riding a wave of momentum, North Vermillion grabbed an early 8-3 lead in the first set, watched the lead evaporate into a back-and-forth battle. Tied at 17-17, the Eagles scored eight of the final 10 points to win the set and the match 25-19.

Long praised the squad for grinding out the result.

"They hung in there and just don't give up," Long said. "They keep working."

Both South Putnam and South Vermillion came into the final match of the day sporting 3-0 records, meaning that the winner of the final round would win the Eagle Invite.

The Wildcats boasted the best hitting team the Eagles would see all day. The extra firepower South Vermillion had in store carried them late in the first set.

With a slim 15-14 lead, the Wildcats would score 10 of the final 12 points, including the final six points of the set, to win the opening round 25-16.

The two squads battled through the early part of the second set within two points of one another and as the middle of the round approached, South Putnam held a 15-14 lead.

From there, however, South Vermillion again closed out the set ruthlessly, finishing the match with 11 of the final 14 points to win the Eagle Invitational.

Long said that after the initial hitting the Wildcats displayed, particularly from senior hitter Brooke Harvey, the Eagles found ways to counteract the visitors' attack.

"The girls adjusted well from the first set and got a good block on (Harvey)," Long said. "That helped boost our morale a little bit.

"We had to adjust because they hit hard and down. They weren't long balls. The girls adjusted well to moving up the court to cover."

After a week with six matches, South Putnam gets a full week of practice before traveling to Riverton Parke on Sept. 3. Long noted that the Eagles would try to keep this weekend's momentum going during practice.

"We're going to work on playing a quick defense," Long said. "They adjusted well to get more blocks up against a good hitting team. We're going to keep doing what we're doing.

"There was not a lot we saw today that we didn't like. There were times we were out of position but that happens in these games.

"We're going to keep working on fundamentals," Long added. "We'll work on the offense and our hitting. There were times when they weren't as aggressive as I thought they could be at the net, so we'll work on that."

At South Putnam
2013 Eagle Invitational