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Melani Shaffmaster and Kylie Murr
The Munciana Chipmunks made a long week look quite easy, and they capped a perfect national tournament with their best showing.
The Chipmunks took down the 14-year-old division’s top seed, Kentucky Indiana Volleyball Academy (KIVA) 25-19, 25-17 in the AAU Junior National Volleyball Championship match Friday in Orlando, Florida. The Chipmunks’ coach, Wes Lyon, estimated the team made just three errors — one serving, two hitting — in the entire title match.
“I’m not sure I’ve seen a cleaner match played by a team in the championship,” Lyon said in a phone interview. “It was something special.”
The rest of the four-day tournament was something special, too, as the Chipmunks didn’t lose a single set over the course of their 11 matches. Just how dominating was the roster made up of seven East Central Indiana incoming freshmen? It won 21 of 22 sets by at least four points.
Setter Melani Shaffmaster, who will attend New Castle, was the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Libero Kylie Murr (Yorktown) and outside hitter Bonnie Bostic (Carmel) were also named All-Americans.
The Chipmunks had played KIVA seven times during the club season, and they dropped the first three. But the last match made it four in a row for the Chipmunks. KIVA held a 3-2 advantage when the tournament’s seeds were assigned, which is why it was the top seed and the Chipmunks were ranked second in the 32-team field.
Lyon cited several reasons for the team’s perfect mark throughout the week, including Molly Hunt’s (Delta) blocking on the right side. McKenzie Knuckles (Yorktown) was hurt Thursday and had to sit four matches, but Taylor Shelton (Hamilton Southeastern) was able to fill her role. Then Knuckles returned for the championship to help the Chipmunks finish the club season in style.
“McKenzie was just healthy enough to play one match, and she played the match of her life,” Lyon said. “She was just great.”
Estella Davis (Wapahani), Malejah Bryant (Central), Sarah Smoot (Delta) and Sophie Oliphant (Carmel) also contributed.
“It was just a great four days,” Lyon said. “We’ve had a lot of injuries this season and used a lot of different lineups. When McKenzie got injured, it was just how we operate. Everyone was ready to step up and play hard. I’m really proud of these girls — there are a lot of elite volleyball players in this group.”
Contact sports features writer Ryan O’Gara at (765) 213-5829. Follow him on Twitter @RyanOGaraTSP.
