BLUFFTON — Sometimes athletic contests played at very high levels are decided by which team is the better of the two.
That was exactly the case Saturday when Southwood defeated Madison-Grant in three straight games in the opening round of regional volleyball play Saturday morning.
The Knights were winners 25-9, 25-16, 25-19. That dropped the Argylls to 28-8 and ended a courageous and encouraging season.
“I just told the girls (in the locker room) that we lost to a better team,” said M-G coach Bob Holloway. “They were just a little more polished than us and a little more experienced than us.”
A bit part of the Madison-Grant team and a lot of its experience had to sit the bench due to a knee injury. Senior Sydnie Holland was in uniform and took to the floor when the starters gathered to begin the match. She was taken out before the first serve and soon after she was missed.
The Argylls took a 2-0 lead on kills by sophomore Olivia Stroup and freshman Hunter Wise. Southwood scored the next three points and Madison-Grant’s only lead after that was 1-0 to start the second game.
In that opening contest the Knights had eight aces.
“We obviously had some serve reception breakdowns,” said Holloway. “That’s an area where Sydnie would have helped. She’s very comfortable with service return, especially hard serves. She would also have given us some flexibility to move people around.”
Southwood junior Abby Harness was also a problem for the Argylls at the net where she had two kills, two blocks and a tip in that first game.
Senior Maria Ellingwood’s tip gave the Argylls a 1-0 lead in Game Two and even though it was the only time the rest of the match that Madison-Grant led, the Argylls played better.
Southwood had just three aces. Wise had two kills and two blocks while Stroup had two kills and a tip. Harness was again a big player for the Knights with three blocks, two tips and a kill. Hannah Kirk and Celeste McCormick both had three kills for the winners.
“Our effort was really good the whole day,” said Holloway. “I think we relaxed a little bit more the second game and were a little more aggressive.”
The final game saw the Argylls fighting an uphill battle all the way. The Knights would spurt to a little lead and Madison-Grant would get close and then that pattern would repeat.
Finally, on Katie Kohlmorgen’s serve and a kill by Wise, the Argylls tied it at 11-11. In that game’s most pivotal moment, Southwood’s Kirk got a tip to hit the floor for a 12-11 lead and the Argylls would never again draw even.
Madison-Grant had one more spurt left. Trailing 21-16 mostly from the net play of the Knights’ Kristen Murphy, Stroup’s kill made it 21-17 and gave the serve back to Lauren Stanley.
Stanley served an ace and Wise put down a kill to cut the gap to 21-19. But Southwood’s Meghan Binkerd broke the string with a kill and Mallory Harnish served out the match.
With the score 24-19 in favor of the Knights, Holloway called a time out. After having a discussion with his coaches and his team, he decided to put Holland into the game.
“I did it out of respect for Sydnie,” said Holloway. “We put her in a spot where she wasn’t going to be asked to do too much.” She didn’t touch the ball, but it was a touching tribute regardless. The Argylls graduate just Holland and Ellingwood off this team.
“We’re certainly excited about the future,” said Holloway. “We had three freshmen and two sophomores on the floor there in one rotation.”
High School Sports
Madison-Grant volleyball falls to Southwood
Argylls finish regional run with 25-9, 25-16, 25-19 defeat
- High School Sports
-
-
Anderson tankers ready for sectional
It has been a long time since the Anderson High School boys’ swim team last dipped its toes into competitive waters. Nearly a month, in fact. That will change when the team travels to Hamilton Southeastern for sectional preliminaries this Thursday.
-
George Bremer: Dunham tied to Arabians
Pendleton Heights senior Kellen Dunham is one of three players widely considered to be the front-runners for this season’s Indiana Mr. Basketball award. The other two — Hamilton Southeastern’s Gary Harris and Park Tudor’s Yogi Ferrell — were named last week as participants in this spring’s McDonald’s All-American Game. Dunham was left out. That doesn’t kill his chances to win the state’s most coveted individual honor, but it does inextricably tie those hopes to the Arabians’ postseason fortunes.
-
Two individuals, one team to bowling state finals
The high school bowling semistate held Saturday at Cooper’s Sport Bowl narrowed down the field of local bowlers, advancing only two individuals and one team to the state finals next weekend.
-
Rick Teverbaugh: Anderson's Carter small but her speed is deadly
There are sometimes very big reasons for a team to win a basketball game.
Sometimes, the reason is very small.
In the case of the Anderson Lady Tribe, they won the Greenfield Sectional championship Saturday night for a very small reason — a 5-foot-4 reason, to be exact. -
Arabians' Todd fulfills promise on mat
Pendleton Heights' Mason Todd improved his season record to 37-0 en route to winning the 120-pound title at the New Castle Fieldhouse. He will be one of four local wrestlers to participate in the Parade of Champions to kick off the 74th IHSAA Individual State Tournament on Friday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
-
Raiders run by Broncos
Daleville surprised almost everyone in Sectional 55 by hanging with Southern Wells (18-6) before bowing out 44-27 in the championship game Saturday at Wes-Del.
-
Lady Tribe captures sectional crown
Photos from the sectional championship between Anderson and Pendleton Heights on Saturday.
-
Indians defeat Arabians in girls basketball sectional final
Anderson held Pendleton Heights to two points in the fourth quarter and brought down the three-time girls basketball sectional champion Arabians 40-38 Saturday.
-
Tribe triumphs
The Anderson Lady Tribe brought their best defense in Friday night’s semifinal battle against New Castle and rolled to a 56-31 victory to advance to the final of Class 4A Sectional 9 against Pendleton Heights.
-
Wertz rallies Arabians to final
Pendleton Heights junior guard Tiffany Wertz sparked a fourth-quarter rally in girls sectional basketball play Friday and lifted the Arabians into tonight’s title game. PH scored 29 points in the fourth quarter and erased a six-point deficit with five minutes to play in a 63-51 win over Richmond.
- More High School Sports Headlines
-
