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Cougar volleyball season ends at sectional
MONROVIA -- North Putnam's volleyball team had the distinction of opening sectional play at the IHSAA Class 2A Sectional No. 44, hosted by Monrovia High School, Tuesday night along with Covenant Christian.
The Warriors, one of the favorites for the sectional title, showed their worth by ending the Cougars' season 25-18, 25-10, 25-12.
North Putnam coach Brandy Dickson said the team battled well against a strong Covenant Christian squad.
"I was proud of our effort, especially from our seniors Shay Lucas and Kaitlin Mindiola," Dickson said. "I thought they did a nice job tonight.
"Shay has dominated in the back row for us all season. Kaitlin had a nice season for us blocking and attacking, which both did well tonight.
"We struggled receiving serves," Dickson added. "Covenant Christian is a very disciplined team with some very talented hitters."
Covenant Christian took control early in the first set, building up a quick 8-3 lead but did not solidify their position and allowed North Putnam to close to within a point at 15-14.
Seven straight service points put the Warriors back in control the Cougars did not have time to mount a comeback, falling 25-18 in the opening set.
Dickson noted that the squad frequently attacked Covenant Christian in the opening set but couldn't find enough holes to exploit.
"We knew they left their line open, so we tried to turn the ball down the line," Dickson said. "We struggled with that at times, along with their blockers, though I think we did a nice job of blocking as well.
"We worked on making sure they were playing smart, looking for an open spot and going all out. We had some trouble hitting hard when we needed to and not laying off or tipping the ball."
North Putnam kept play close early in the second set but another long service run by the Warriors late in the set turned a 10-6 advantage into a 22-7 lead that was never under threat, leading to a 2-0 lead in the match.
Set three played out similar to the second set as the Cougars could not keep pace in the middle of the round, slipping from 10-5 to 20-7 and eventually fell 25-12 and 3-0 in the match.
Mindiola ended her senior season with six digs and two aces while fellow senior Lucas tabled 17 digs. Lyndi Parent had seven assists while Taylor Nauert had two kills, as did Adri Millican, and four blocks.
North Putnam ends the season with an 11-20 record, a mark that Dickson felt could have been closer to .500 or better.
"Overall, I thought we'd be a little better off than we are right now," Dickson said. "I know we played some tough teams and played in five sets a lot.
"I wanted us to play some tougher teams so that it would help us get ready for sectionals. This is not quite where I thought we'd be with the talent we have, so we need to be working on team cohesion and playing for each other next year."
With Lucas and Mindiola the only departing seniors and a strong group of sophomores looking to challenge for starting spots, Dickson said that being more familiar with one another would be key by the time the squad resumes play next year.
"Team building is a big factor," Dickson noted. "I think knowing what everyone's tendencies are and learning how to communicate on the court will be key.
"We have a talented sophomore class coming up that will need to step in and fill some big shoes. Some of them saw some decent varsity time this year.
"Turning Lyndi Parent into a setter as a sophomore will help her mentally get tougher but I thought she did an excellent job tonight," Dickson added. "Ainslee Vogt, Carlie Bundy, Haley Abdon, Bronwyn Spencer, Grace Willard and Aleah Duncan will all come in.
"It will come down to getting used to playing together, being able to trust each other and knowing that they have each other's back on the court."
At Monrovia High School
IHSAA Class 2A Sectional No. 44
North Putnam 18 10 12
Covenant Christian 25 25 25