Wapahani defeated Marion-Grant Tuesday, Oct, 27, 2015.
BREMEN, Ind. — On-the-spot defense and fantastic focus helped Wapahani dispatch Hammond Noll 25-22, 25-15, 25-22 Saturday morning in the semifinals of the Class 2A Bremen Semistate volleyball tournament.
The Raiders (25-11) advanced to the 6 p.m. semistate championship against Rochester (36-1), a 25-17, 25-18, 25-17 winner against Westview (30-6) in the other semifinal.
“Everything in the postseason so far seems to have gone four sets or five,” Wapahani coach Jared Richardson said. “I was very happy to get it done in three today.
“The biggest thing was our defense. Coming into this, I told (my players) I didn’t think (Noll) had anybody who could hit a ball down really hard, but they get a lot of roll shots and tip very, very well. So picking up the tips and the small-ball stuff was the key to winning the (match).”
Yelling “focus, ladies, focus,” Richardson watched his team take down the Warriors (27-12).
“I did not want to have that let-up,” Richardson said. “We have to keep that momentum on our side. We can’t get in that hole.”
Richardson stressed how his back-line defenders had to stay on their toes and be ready to make a play — “from deep to short.”
Leading the Raiders in digs was senior Hannah Smith (13), freshman Haven Gates (11) and sophomore Skyler VanNote (10).
Middle hitter VanNote racked up a team-best 17 kills.
“She carries us and will continue to do that,” Richardson said of the 6-footer.
Richardson was also especially pleased with a smaller player — outside hitter Sarah Orme.
The 5-foot-8 freshmen racked up eight kills, many of them at the antenna.
“She did a really good job,” Richardson said of Orme. “She’s a really little kid so people don’t expect much out of her. She always comes up big.”
Wapahani never trailed by more than three points in Game 1 and sealed the game with a kill by VanNote.
In Game 2, the Raiders seized a 11-10 lead and never let Noll pull even after that. The decisive point came on a kill by junior Chase Curry.
The match-winning Game 3 saw Wapahani roar out to leads of 8-2 and 10-4 and ended on a kill from freshman Estella Davis.
VOLLEYBALL
Wapahani def. Hammond Noll 25-22, 25-15, 25-22
At Bremen
Individual stats (kills-aces-digs)
Wapahani: Hannah Smith 0-1-13, Lexi Spence 3-0-8, Skyler VanNote 17-4-10, Estella Davis 11-0-2, Chase Curry 2-0-1, Annie Schuck 2-0-2, Kerri Myers 1-0-6, Haiden Gates 0-0-1, Sarah Orme 8-2-7, Havyn Gates 0-0-11. Totals: 44-7-61.
Blocks: Wapahani 5 (Spence 2, VanNote 2). Assists: Wapahani 41 (Spence 38).