EC Volleyball traveled to Ben Davis on Saturday and came up one win short of being champions. The Lady Trojans went 3-0 in pool played to put them in the championship match.
Match 1: Jennings County (scores: 25-17; 25-19)
It wasn’t our best match of the day, but the girls played well. We didn’t play at our normal intensity which made it a little slower than most games we play. We like to keep things fast by running a quick offense to give our hitters the best opportunity. In the end, it was enough to get a win in our first round of pool play.
Match 2: Muncie Burris (scores: 25-20; 25-21)
I may be wrong, but I think this is the first time EC has ever beaten Burris. They are rebuilding due to injury, but Muncie schools are known for ball control. They weren’t the tallest team, but their defense was great. They kept us on our toes and forced us to find different ways to score. The girls battled hard and found a way to finish the match. We gave up runs at the end of both games, but stayed focused enough to come out with the win.
Match 3: Zionsville (scores: 26-24; 14-25; 16-14)
This was a tough match. Zionsville has an incredibly strong team with some big hitters. We pulled the momentum back to our side at the end of game 1 to come out on top, however, I have no idea where that momentum went, because game two was a totally different team. We got down early and could never find our way back. Game three started just as slow, and just when you think the game is over, these girls flipped a switch and were determined to fight for the championship. We battled back from being down 6-10 in a 15 point match to come back and win 16-14. If you take out game 2, this match was impressive. They showed their heart and love for this game by pulling a win out when they could have easily folded. That’s all on them- their dedication, their drive. I can’t take any credit for that. The seniors stepped up and led this team to victory better than I could have ever asked in that situation.
Match 4: McCutcheon (scores: 18-25; 18-25)
The girls played hard. I will never try to take that from them. I just think we were tired by the time we got to the championship. With Homecoming the night before, I think we used up the last of our energy pulling out the win against Zionsville. They tried to pull through, they just didn’t have enough gas left. We lost to an incredibly smart McCutcheon team. They put the ball where we weren’t and we were just one step behind when we tried to pick it up. They played smarter than us and walked out as champions.
‘Overall, I am incredibly proud of these girls. They are so talented and have so much drive to be successful. My hopes and expectations for them in the last month of the season are very high. This team can do something EC hasn’t done in a very long time and they proved that this weekend. With our senior leadership, this team is destined for greatness and I am very lucky to be part of that.’ EC Coach Cassie Laker.
Varsity is now 15-5 on the season (8-0 in conference play).
Next up: ECVB travels to Lawrenceburg for EIAC action on Monday. Freshman start at 5, JV and Varsity will follow.
Courtesy of Trojans Coach Cassie Laker.