Menu
Eagles win Shakamak Invitational
JASONVILLE -- South Putnam's varsity volleyball team picked up a pair of big wins Saturday on its way to winning the Shakamak Invitational. They defeated Rockville in the opening round, then moved on to defeat the previously undefeated hosts to win the championship.
"Winning this tournament is a huge achievement for our team," said Eagle coach Jill Newton.
The Eagles opened the day against Rockville and got off to a slow start, dropping the first game to the Rox before coming back to win the next two. South Putnam took the match 18-25, 25-16, 17-15.
"We started out really slowly against Rockville," Newton said. "The first game we were down 20-7, but tried to fight our way back. The next two games we seemed to be more awake and moved our feet much better."
In the opener, Oceaia Boetjer led the Eagles in three statistical categories with 13 points, two aces and 23 digs.
Shelby Johnston led the Eagles with five kills and shared the team lead in blocks with Liz Mink at five. Sam Stanifer had nine assists.
In the championship match, the Eagles had some stiff competition in the host Lakers, who came into the game 18-0 and ranked eighth in Class A. South was up to the challenge, though.
"The girls really wanted to win the tournament and beat Shakamak," Newton said.
The first game was close, with the teams trading points until Shakamak pulled away for the 25-20 win.
However, the Eagles came back in game two to win a close one, 23-20.
"The second game we just really stepped up our game and made some great plays," Newton said.
With one game to decide it all, Newton laid it all on the line for her team, telling them they had a chance to make something happen.
"At the start of the third game I told the girls that we were the underdogs and had nothing to lose," Newton said. "I told them that we are a good team and if we played together and communicated we would win."
The Eagles struggled early in the third, getting down 8-4, but then came back on a seven-point run that gave them the momentum. There were a couple more momentum swings in store, though.
"We missed two crucial serves at game point which put Shakamak back in the game," Newton said. "They were at game point, but we got the ball back after making several good defensive plays in a long volley.
"We ended up winning the game by two points," she continued.
With the tournament victory under their belts, the coach was extremely proud of her team.
"It was an awesome day for South Putnam volleyball," Newton said. "Both wins today were a total team effort. I am extremely proud of the girls Hoepfully we can take this win and continue playing well this week.
In the title match, Johnston led the Eagles in points (10), aces (3), kills (7) and blocks (6). Stanifer was the leader in assists (10), and Boetjer led the way with 18 digs.
South Putnam (10-6) traveled to Monrovia on Monday. They will travel to Danville at 5:30 p.m. Monday.
At Shakamak
Shakamak Invitational
Opening round
| South Putnam | 18 25 17 |
| Rockville | 25 16 17 |
Individual stats
Points -- Boetjer 13, Miller 9, Johnston 6, Sibbitt 2, Mink 2
Aces -- Boetjer 2, Miller 1, Sibbitt 1
Kills -- Johnston 5, Stanifer 4, Mink 4, Trauner 3, Burdge 3, Boetjer 2
Assists -- Stanifer 9, Miller 5
Blocks -- Johnston 5, Mink 5, Trauner 4 (1 stuff), Burdge 2, Boetjer 1
Digs -- Boetjer 23, Johnston 15, Mink 13, Sibbitt 8, Trauner 6, Stanifer 6, Miller 1, Burdge 1
Title match
| South Putnam | 20 25 18 |
| Shakamak | 25 23 16 |
Individual stats
Points -- Johnston 10, Miller 6, Boetjer 5, Stanifer 4, Mink 2, Sibbitt 2
Aces -- Johnston 3, Boetjer 2
Kills -- Johnston 7, Mink 5, Stanifer 3, Boetjer 3, Trauner 3, Burdge 1, Miller 1
Assists -- Stanifer 10, Miller 7
Blocks -- Johnston 6, Mink 4 (1 stuff), Trauner 4 (1 stuff), Burdge 3, Boetjer 2, Stanifer 1
Digs -- Boetjer 18, Stanifer 17, Mink 12, Miller 7, Sibbitt 5, Johnston 2, Trauner 1, Burdge 1