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Skyler Van Note
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Wapahani’s Skyler Vannote (1) and Chase Curry (12) jump to block a hit from Madison-Grant during their regional game at Madison-Grant High School Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015.
BREMEN, Ind. — Wapahani served up a heaping helping of strong serving Saturday and topped previously once-beaten Rochester 3-1 (25-15, 24-26, 25-15, 25-18) for the Class 2A Bremen Semistate volleyball championship.
The Raiders (26-11) kept the heat on the Zebras (36-2) from the service line, where Wapahani racked up 12 aces (led by seniors Haiden Gates and Hannah Smith, and freshman Havyn Gates with three apiece) while earning a berth in the IHSAA state finals.
After a long trip to win two semistate matches, the Raiders get to return home, of sorts, for one more match in the 2015 season. The state championship match against Speedway is slated for about 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at Ball State University’s Worthen Arena in Muncie.
“Our service pressure just got (Rochester) out of system,” third-year Wapahani coach Jared Richardson said. “(Rochester junior Hannah Towne) is an amazing player. She puts the ball away hard. We knew she was going to get points.”
To keep that from happening too frequently, the Raiders made it hard for the Zebras to consistently set Towne up for the kill.
“Serving was one key and blocking was the other,” Richardson said. “We blocked very, very well.”
Of Wapahani’s 12 blocks, six came from freshman Estella Davis with four from sophomore Skyler Van Note and three from junior Chase Curry.
The Raiders will be seeking the fourth state title in program history, having taken home the trophy in 2002, 2011 and 2012. One of the players on the tournament roster for the last championship was then-freshman Smith.
She is now a calming force for the 2015 Raiders.
“She’s the one who knows if you keep fighting you can get there,” Richardson said of Smith, the Raider libero. “We’ve been fighters all season long.”
Smith has relished her leadership role.
“If I stay calm, they stay calm,” Smith said. “At the beginning of the season, I looked every one of them in the eye and said, ‘We’re going to state. We’re going. I know we can do it.’ From then on, they bought in. We pushed and worked hard and now we’re here and it’s unbelievable.”
With Smith helping keep Wapahani steady during an emotional match, the Raiders broke open a close first set with sophomore Lexi Spence making the decisive kill.
“We all just clicked and had amazing service pressure,” Smith said. “Everything was there. Our hitters knew what to do. We were just jellin.’”
The second set went to the Zebras after they erased a 22-18 Raider lead, closing it on a kill by sophomore Grace Pfeiffer. Smith said the serve pressure let up in that game and that let Rochester gain momentum.
The third set featured an early 8-0 run by Wapahani. Rochester pulled within 11-8 before the Raiders pulled away again. The decisive kill came from Van Note — one of her 15.
“We went on runs and that is critical,” Smith said. “You have to keep your energy up.”
Wapahani took control in the middle of Game 4, increasing a five-point lead to 10 and then holding off a late Zebra charge. The semistate championship celebration was on following a kill by Davis, her team-high 16th.
Smith, who has committed to play at Ball State, looks to a four-set win against Delaware County rival Delta right before the sectional as a turning point for the Raiders. Wapahani won the Burris Sectional and took down Madison-Grant in the regional.
In the semifinals, Wapahani swept Hammond Noll 25-22, 25-15, 25-22.