Hamilton Southeastern’s Madi Miles (right) makes a dig during the Royals’ match with Westfield Wednesday night. Southeastern won the match in five sets, with Madi one of three Royals players to hit 19 kills. Also pictured is Maye McConnell, who had 20 digs and four aces. (Richie Hall)
By RICHIE HALL
WESTFIELD – The No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown volleyball showdown between top-ranked Westfield and second-ranked Hamilton Southeastern lived up to the hype.
In front of a large crowd at CSI Gymnasium on Wednesday, both teams played an exciting and tense five-set match. The Royals wound up as the victorious team, edging out the Shamrocks 26-24, 20-25, 22-25, 26-24, 15-13, handing Westfield its first loss of the season.
“We’ve had some ups, we’ve had some downs, but just really proud of this group the way they grinded,” said Southeastern coach Jason Young. The Royals had to recover from a match point in the fourth set, then were down 13-12 in the fifth set before winning the last three points.
Southeastern led 7-1 in the first set, with Maye McConnell serving a pair of aces. The Royals never trailed in that set, although they had to withstand several Westfield comebacks, including one towards the end of the set. Southeastern led 23-17 before the Rocks ran off six straight points, including two aces from Brooke Neale and a kill from Georgia Bresnahan. The score was then tied at 24-24, but the Royals won the last two points.
Westfield’s Kendyl Strack (2) collected 21 digs and served three aces, while Kenna Robinson (left) dished out 22 assists. (Richie Hall)
Westfield took an early lead in the second set and held it from there. Bresnahan hit a kill to put the Shamrocks ahead 20-15, then Carsyn Comer blasted a kill to give Westfield set point at 24-19. HSE’s Madi Miles saved one with a tip, but the Rocks won the next point to tie the match at one set all.
The third set was back and forth until Westfield won three consecutive points for a 13-10 lead. Jordyn Blair started the run with a kill. The Royals fought back to tie the set at 21-21, after which Comer caught fire, smacking three straight kills. Audrey Davis blasted a set-point kill at 24-22 and the Rocks had a 2 sets to 1 lead.
Miles made a block to give Southeastern a 9-6 lead in the fourth set, and a block from Mia Zabel pushed the Royals ahead 20-14. Westfield came back, cutting the HSE’s lead to two points three different times. Bre Morgan’s kill put HSE ahead 23-20, but Audrey Bassett hit a kill to start a four-point Shamrocks run.
Comer hit an ace at 23-23, and Westfield had a match point. The Royals won the next three points on kills to force a fifth set. The Rocks led 10-7 in that deciding set and were still up 11-10, then both teams hit a flurry of kills, keeping the match tied at 13-13. Morgan made a successful block to give HSE a match point, which the Royals won to finally clinch the match.
“That’s something that we’ve been preaching all year, to be able to grind and grind a win out,” said Young. “And that’s exactly what they did tonight, so really, really proud of that.”
Madi Miles, Morgan and Sliwa all hit 19 kills for the Royals. Morgan also collected nine blocks, followed by six for Raegan Miles, and five each for Brooklyn Sigler and Madi Miles. McConnell finished with 20 digs and served four aces.
Paige Rudolph hit 18 kills for Westfield, followed by Comer with 14 and Bresnahan with 13. Emily Blevins dished out 31 assists, while Kenna Robinson handed out 22 assists. Kendyl Strack collected 21 digs and served three aces, while Neale gathered 14 digs.
“I think our girls stepped up, played great,” said Shamrocks coach Sean Keeve. “I think it was just a matter of a couple of points. I think Hamilton Southeastern did a good job of taking care of the more important moments and not shying away from doing what they’re supposed to do.”
The match was also a Hoosier Crossroads Conference contest, and the Royals stayed unbeaten in the league at 4-0. Westfield is 3-1 in the conference, both teams are 15-1 overall.
Southeastern plays at the New Castle Invitational on Saturday, while the Shamrocks host Mt. Vernon Monday.
