The Press-Dispatch
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The Press-Dispatch Sports Wednesday, August 23, 2017 B- 3 However, Pike Central ticked off the next two points, with the game-winner coming on an ace serve by junior Alex Traylor. In the fifth set, the Lady Chargers took an early 3- 1 lead – on two kills by Nal- ley and one by Lamey – but Washington answered with six straight points, includ- ing two on back-to-back ace serves by Sipes, to go ahead 7-3. "At that point, I told them, 'Guys, last set, we were down four, five points, and you did it. You can do it again,'" said Walton. "I said, 'Just focus – focus on getting the passes, and you've got it.'" "I think my (defensive spe- cialists) kind of looked at me and they were, like, 'Okay, we can do that.'" "We were working on our defense a lot, trying to get the ball up, working on our serve-receive, because they were serving at us pret- ty hard," Whann said. "Our back row, we were getting nervous and we were starting to shank them. It was us get- ting sloppy again, and we had to pick ourselves up again." Getting the serve back af- ter a hit by Lady Hatchets se- nior Aubrey Lankford sailed out of bounds, which nar- rowed the deficit to 7-4, Pike Central – with Traylor serv- ing – scored six more points – including two on kills by Nal- ley, one on a kill by Jenkins and one on an ace serve – to seize the lead for keeps, 10 -7. "Alex served some really hard serves," Walton said. "And I remember a couple of them were free balls back at us, which really helps get the offense going as well." Washington scored back- to-back points to pull to with- in 10 -9, but the Lady Char- gers tallied three straight – including one on a kill by Dawson and one on an ace serve by Nalley – to open up a 13-9 lead. A fter the Lady Hatchets narrowed the deficit to 13- 11, Pike Central finished the match off with back-to-back points, with the match-win- ning point coming on a block by Jenkins of a hit by Wash- ington sophomore Madi Mc- Clure. With the win, Pike Central evened its record at 1-1, fol- lowing a four-set loss at Vin- cennes Lincoln the previous evening. Nalley accounted for 12 points during the match, scoring eight on kills, three on ace serves and one on a block, while Lamey had 11 points on nine kills and two blocks. Jenkins had five kills and four blocks to add nine points while Kylie Dawson tallied seven points, all on kills. In addition, Crow had three ace serves while leading the Lady Chargers with 21 set-as- sists. Shelbi Pipes, who also had three ace serves, added five set-assists. Sorgius led Pike Central in digs with 24, followed by Whann (21) and Traylor (19). Whann said that the win was a very special one for her and fellow seniors Nal- ley, Shelbi Pipes and Sorgius. "You know, us seniors, it was our last first game on this court," Whann said. "We talked before the game and talked about how we want- ed to win this tonight, in our house – the last first game in our house. We wanted to bring it tonight. We were bringing our everything." Walton, however, is hop- ing that her team – and espe- cially the four seniors – will continue, as Whann put it, to "bring it" the rest of the sea- son. "These seniors have been through several years with me now, and they all know that fighting chance," Wal- ton said. "Last night, and several times tonight, I was so proud of them. They kind of took the juniors under their wings. They were, like, 'You've got it. You're okay. You can do it. Relax.' Just re- ally words of encouragement at them and saying, 'Hey, you have this hole. Hey, you have this one. Hey, you've got it. You can do it. Keep your chin down.'" "Several times, I've heard these seniors patting them on the back, saying things to them," Walton added. "And having an upperclassman tell you that, I think, means a lot, that they believe in you." In the junior varsity match, sophomore Karsyn Pipes had a team-high four kills in a 25 - 22, 16 -25, 15 -12 victory over Washington. Sophomores Lily Frederick-Rice and Au- brey Keepes both three kills, while sophomores Alexis En- glert (two kills, one block) and Emma Russell (one ace serve, two kills) also account- ed for three points each. Rus- sell also had nine set-assists while sophomore Aubrie Dawson led the Lady Char- gers with 11 digs. Pipes and Russell had 10 digs each. Pike Central will host Loo- gootee on Thursday, Aug. 24, for a varsity-only match starting at 6 p.m., then will compete in the Screen Print- ing Plus Tournament at Vin- cennes Lincoln on Saturday, Aug. 26. The Lady Chargers will return home to host Evansville Reitz on Monday, Aug. 28, at 6:30 p.m., then will play their first Pocket Athletic Conference match of the season at Forest Park on Tuesday, Aug. 29. Pike Central wrapped up the two-day classic with a 2-1 victory over Som- erset (Ky.), with Kyson Western netting both goals, off assists from ju- nior Christian Benson and sophomore Ethan Scott. "Somerset is a good team, and beat Bosse by three goals this week- end," Chad Western said. "They have some really nice players, and were a good match-up for us. This was a nice win for us. This Somerset team will win a lot of games this year." "Several of our players played really well, and some bounced back into form after the early game on Saturday," he added. Tormohlen, who had nine saves, "played well, and had a couple nice saves for us to get a tough win," Chad Western said. "Gavin Boyd, Ethan Scott and Austin Holder all played well, giving us con- sistent pressure on their middle and defense." "We learned a lot in one weekend, and were very tired after playing three games in less than 20 hours," Chad Western added. "But this compe- tition will make us better for our conference and lat- er in the year." Pike Central, which played at Washington Catholic on Tuesday, Aug. 22, will host Tell City on Wednesday, Aug. 23, at 6 p.m. The Chargers' junior varsity will play at Evans- ville Day School on Thurs- day, Aug. 24, and at Boon- ville on Monday, Aug. 28, before returning home to host South Spencer on Tuesday, Aug. 29, at 8 p.m. OVERCOME Continued from page 1 WIN Continued from page 1 UPCOMING SPORTS SCHEDULE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23 High School Boys' Tennis: Tecumseh at Pike Cen- tral, 5:30 p.m. High School Boys' Soccer: Tell City at Pike Cen- tral, 6 p.m. High School Girls' Soccer: Tell City at Pike Cen- tral, 8 p.m. Middle School Boys' Soccer: Pike Central at South Knox (A team only), 5:15 p.m. Middle School Girls' Soccer: Pike Central at South Knox, 5:15 p.m. THURSDAY, AUGUST 24 High School Girls' Golf: Pike Central and Vin- cennes Lincoln vs. North Daviess at Country Club of Old Vincennes, 4:30 p.m. High School Volleyball: Loogootee at Pike Cen- tral (varsity only), 6 p.m. High School Girls' Soccer: Pike Central at Evans- ville Day School, 6 p.m. High School Boys' Soccer: Pike Central at Evans- ville Day School ( junior varsity only), 7 p.m. Middle School Boys' Tennis: Tecumseh at Pike Central, 5:30 p.m. Middle School 6th Grade Volleyball: Fort Branch at Pike Central, 6 p.m. Middle School 7th and 8th Grade Volleyball: Fort Branch at Pike Central, 6 p.m. Middle School Football: Washington at Pike Cen- tral, 6 p.m. Middle School Girls' Soccer: Forest Park at Pike Central, 7 p.m. FRIDAY, AUGUST 25 High School Football: Princeton at Pike Central, 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY, AUGUST 26 High School Volleyball: Pike Central in Screen Printing Plus Tournament at Vincennes Lincoln, 9 a.m. High School Boys' Tennis: Pike Central at Vin- cennes Lincoln Invitational, 9 a.m. High School Girls' Soccer: Pike Central at Vin- cennes Rivet, noon. Middle School 7th and 8th Grade Volleyball: Pike Central at Forest Park, 10 a.m. Middle School Boys' Soccer: Tell City at Pike Cen- tral, 1 p.m. MONDAY, AUGUST 28 High School Boys' Soccer: Pike Central at Boon- ville ( junior varsity only), 6:30 p.m. High School Volleyball: Evansville Reitz at Pike Central – Junior Varsity, 6:30 p.m.; Varsity, 7:45 p.m. TUESDAY, AUGUST 29 High School Boys' Tennis: Pike Central at Wash- ington, 4:30 p.m. High School Girls' and Boys' Cross Country: North Knox at Pike Central, 5 p.m. High School Volleyball: Pike Central at Forest Park – Freshmen, 5:30 p.m.; Junior Varsity, 6 p.m.; Varsi- ty, 7:15 p.m. High School Girls' Golf: Gibson Southern and North Posey at Pike Central, 5:30 p.m. High School Girls' Soccer: South Spencer at Pike Central, 6 p.m. High School Boys' Soccer: South Spencer at Pike Central, 8 p.m. Middle School Girls' and Boys' Cross Country: North Knox and Washington at Pike Central, 5 p.m. Middle School Boys' Tennis: Washington at Pike Central, 5 p.m. Middle School 7th and 8th Grade Volleyball: Washington at Pike Central, 5:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30 High School Boys' Tennis: South Spencer at Pike Central, 5:30 p.m. Middle School Girls' Soccer: Vincennes Rivet at Pike Central, 5 p.m. Middle School 6th Grade Volleyball: Pike Cen- tral at South Knox. Middle School Boys' Soccer: Vincennes Rivet at Pike Central (B team only), 6:15 p.m. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31 High School Girls' Golf: Pike Central at Forest Park, 4:30 p.m. High School Boys' Tennis: Wood Memorial at Pike Central, 5:30 p.m. High School Volleyball: Pike Central at Shoals – Junior Varsity, 6 p.m.; Varsity, 7:15 p.m. High School Girls' and Boys' Cross Country: Pike Central in Alan Hopewell Invitational at Gibson Southern, 6 p.m. High School Girls' Soccer: Pike Central at Boon- ville, 6 p.m. High School Boys' Soccer: Pike Central at Boon- ville, 7:45 p.m. Middle School Girls' and Boys' Cross Country: Washington and South Knox at Pike Central, 5 p.m. Middle School Football: Pike Central at North Knox, 6 p.m. Middle School Boys' Soccer: Jasper at Pike Central (A & B), 5:30 p.m. Middle School Girls' Soccer: Pike Central at Vin- cennes Lincoln, 5:30 p.m. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 High School Football: Pike Central at Heritage Hills, 8 p.m. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 High School Boys' Soccer: Pike Central at Princ- eton, noon. Middle School Girls' and Boys' Cross Coun- try: Pike Central at Fort Branch Invitational, 10 a.m. Pike Central High School sophomore Alexis Englert goes low to receive a serve during junior varsity game action on Tuesday, Aug. 16, against Wash- ington. The host Lady Chargers won the match 25-22, 16-25, 15-12. Ed Ca- hill photo By Ed Cahill Press-Dispatch Sports Editor sports@pressdispatch.net The Pike Central High School vol- leyball team opened its season by tak- ing a 1-0 lead in a match at Vincennes Lincoln on Tuesday, Aug. 15. However, after losing the first set by a score of 25 -22, the host Lady Al- ices won the next three 25 -13, 25 -13, 25 -12 to improve to 2-0 with their sec- ond four-set victory in as many nights. "The last three sets, I felt that the difference was more aggressiveness," Lady Chargers head coach Tonya Wal- ton said. "The first set, we hit the ball much more than the other three. Our back row had a lot of attacks, which is great, but the front row couldn't get the hits we needed in order to score the points. Vincennes, in the first set, made more hitting errors than they did later in the match, which helped our momentum." In the first set, Pike Central scored five straight points, including one on an ace serve by junior Alex Traylor, to take an early 5 -1 lead. The Lady Char- gers would extend their lead to as ma- ny as six points – at 8 -2 – before Vin- cennes Lincoln rallied, scoring five consecutive points to close to within 8 -7. A block and a kill by junior Alyssa Jenkins sparked a 4-0 scoring run that extended Pike Central's lead to 12-7. Then, after seeing their lead shrink to 14-12, the Lady Chargers scored four straight points – including two on ace serves by junior Becca Crow – to stretch their lead to 18 -12. The Lady Alices would pull to within two points – at 22-20, 23-21 and 24-22 – before a kill by Jenkins, off a set-as- sist by senior Shelbi Pipes – finished them off. In the second set, Pike Central trailed 3-2 before scoring three points in a row – including one on a block by senior Brook Nalley and another on an ace serve by Traylor – to take a 5 - 3 lead. However, Vincennes Lincoln an- swered by scoring 10 straight points, including four on ace serves by senior Payton Sievers, to vault ahead 13-5. The Lady Chargers would get no clos- er than seven points – at 13-6 and 14-7 – the rest of the set. In the third set, Pike Central took an early 6 -3 lead before the Lady Alices scored seven of the next eight points to surge ahead 10 -6. The Lady Char- gers closed to within 10 -8 on a kill by Jenkins, but Vincennes Lincoln scored four of the next five points to extend its lead to 15 -9. Leading 16 -12, the Lady Alices fin- ished off the set with a 9 -1 scoring run to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of- five match. A fter falling behind 1-0 in the fourth set, Vincennes Lincoln scored three straight points – on two kills by Siev- ers and one by senior Grace Doane – to take a 3-1 lead. Pike Central pulled to within 3-2 on a kill by Nalley, but the Lady Alices scored five of the next six points to open up an 8 -3 lead. The Lady Chargers battled back, closing to within 8 -5, before Vincennes Lincoln went on a 7-1 scoring run to extend its lead to 15 -6. Pike Central would get no closer than six points the rest of the way. Nalley had one ace serve, four kills and one block to lead the Lady Char- gers in scoring with six points while Jenkins added five points on four kills and one block. Crow tallied four points on three ace serves and one kill and Traylor accounted for three points, all on ace serves. Crow and Shelbi Pipes both had five set-assists while senior Morgan Whann led Pike Central in digs with 14. Traylor and Crow also reached dou- ble figures in digs with 11 and 10, re- spectively. "I told the girls after the game that the one thing I was worried about the most was serve-receiving," Walton said. "They did much better than I ex- pected with serve-receive. I was very pleased with that." Junior Alexis Hein led Vincennes Lincoln with a game-high 14 kills while Sievers and senior Chasity Trueblood added 10 kills each. Sievers and fresh- man Callie Foster had five ace serves each. Foster had a game-high 21 set-as- sists while freshman Jayse Thompson had a game-high 19 digs. In the junior varsity match, Pike Cen- tral sophomore Emma Russell scored 10 points – on three ace serves, six kills and one block – in a 25 -23, 24-26, 15 -12 loss to Vincennes Lincoln. Sophomore Alexis Englert (one ace serve, two kills and one block) and Karsyn Pipes (four ace serves) both added four points for the Lady Chargers. Russell also led the team with four set-assists, while sopho- more Audrey Keepes recorded a team- high 19 digs. Lady Chargers open season with four-set loss at Vincennes Lincoln Pike Central High School se- nior libero Morgan Whann re- ceives a serve during game ac- tion at Vincennes Lincoln on Tuesday, Aug. 15. The Lady Al- ices won the match 22-25, 25- 13, 25-13, 25-12. Ed Cahill pho- to Pike Central High School se- nior Brook Nalley (7) and ju- nior Kylie Dawson (center) try to block a hit by Vincennes Lin- coln senior Payton Sievers (5) during game action on Tuesday, Aug. 15. The host Lady Alices won the match 22-25, 25-13, 25-13, 25-12. Ed Cahill photo