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SOUTHMONT VOLLEYBALL SECTIONAL FINAL: Tiger Cubs sweep Panthers, take home first sectional since '18
NEW MARKET – Almost a full year to the day, Greencastle had to watch on as Southmont celebrated winning a volleyball sectional on the floor of McAnally Center.
Saturday, on the Mounties’ home floor, the Tiger Cubs got to celebrate themselves after a 25-23, 25-18, 25-16 sweep of Riverton Parke in the final of IHSAA Volleyball Class 2A Sectional No. 44.
“When that game finished last year at home and we lost in straight sets, there was an immediate response of thanking our seniors but also that we could get this game next year,” Greencastle head coach Denise Meyer said. “The wheels were in motion in thinking what we could do to get better.
“We were looking for ways to get back here, to vie for a championship and we did just that.”
Both finalists came in after tough semifinal matches as Greencastle removed North Putnam from the postseason for a second-straight season while Riverton Parke fell into a 2-0 hole against South Putnam, only to rally back for a 3-2 win that finished a couple of hours before the final.
The Panthers did not look like a team that had played a thrilling five-set match at the start, however, flying out to a 6-1 lead.
A give-and-take session soon followed as the Tiger Cubs couldn’t get the lead below four points, trailing 16-10 at one point.
Greencastle appeared to make its move shortly thereafter with a four-point run spurred by a pair of Mackenzie Creviston points.
Riverton Parke answered with four-straight points as McKenzie Nowicki notched two kills and Jenna Batty scored to make it 21-16.
A block by Madi Plew and two Panther attacks into the net set up a big finish for Kylee Owens, who recorded three kills in the final five points to pull the Tiger Cubs over the line with a 25-23 win and a 1-0 lead in the match.
Riverton Parke got off to another quick start with a 5-1 lead after a pair of Annie Campbell kills and a pair of failed returns.
The gap remained in place until a pair of misses from the Panthers and a Keely Amis ace made it 10-9.
Tweaks to the lineup eventually paid off as the set went on as Riverton Parke clung to a slender lead that evaporated after a five-point Greencastle run that included a Hayley Owens ace and kills from Amis and Allie Landry, turning a 17-14 deficit into a 19-17 lead.
Plew, like Owens the set prior, helped seal the deal with a pair of kills and a set-ending block following a kill from Ellie Knuth, giving the Tiger Cubs a 25-18 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
“We made a lineup change in the second set,” Meyer noted. “We had scouted (Riverton Parke’s) defense and saw they weren’t going to give our pin hitters any tipping opportunities; our hitters thought the opposite of the scoring report and we had to work through that.
“To their credit, and all I asked in that change, was to hit across. Kylee, Allie, Mackenzie, Madi with a big block late in the set, all were amazing.
“We had some things pop up this week that created some different practice arrangements and Ellie stepped up in our practices,” Meyer added, pointing to the increased play time of sophomores Knuth and Hayley Owens. “We felt confident Ellie could slide into the role and do the job we asked of her.
“Hayley came in during the morning and did the same thing for us behind the service line. She’s a very aggressive player and is another future six-rotation kid, a steady player who can do a lot of great things, sees the court well and has a nice touch on the ball.”
A more even open came as a result of several missed serves and attacks as the two teams remained in step with one another all the way to 12-12.
At that point, Greencastle made its winning run as Amis had a pair of kills, Knuth added an ace, Owens put down a kill and Creviston bookended the run with a point and block as the Tiger Cubs moved ahead 18-12.
Campbell had a trio of late kills for Riverton Parke but Amis recorded back-to-back aces to finish off the set and the match, handing Greencastle its first sectional title in five years.
“The crowd was helpful in the final set,” Meyer said. “To have both stands cheering was a big motivator.
“All along this week, the three things we tried to focus on were to be disciplined, determined and hard to beat. We wanted to remind them every set, pointing out (Riverton Parke) was comfortable in the position of being down 2-0, so let’s take care of business.”
Greencastle will compete in the Cascade Regional Saturday, facing the host Cadets at approximately 12 p.m. Indianapolis Scecina will face Northeastern in the opening match at 10 a.m.