Urbana falls in volleyball

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NEW CARLISLE – Tippecanoe defeated Urbana, 25-21, 23-25, 11-25, 25-20, 15-10, in Division II sectional volleyball at Tecumseh Wednesday night.

Urbana got off to a slow start in the first set before battling back, but Tippecanoe still finished off the Hillclimbers 25-21.

Trailing by as many as a half dozen points, Urbana cut it to 23-21 before falling off. Both teams played a tremendous final point before the ball caromed off the net and fell straight down for the 25-21 win for Tipp.

The Hillclimbers were in charge of a back-and-forth second set and led by just a couple late until Macy Pierce put her body on the line for a great save and then a diving bump over the net that resulted in a point for the Hillclimbers.

Tippecanoe fought back into it, slicing the lead from four points to one at 20-19 before tying it at 22-22 later in the match. But Urbana was resilient, scoring a couple and winning it 25-23.

In the third, Urbana raced out to a 12-1 lead. Tippecanoe seemed dazed and confused and never recovered, with UHS cruising to a 25-11 victory for a one-set lead.

“When this group plays with confidence and they play together, they can play with anyone in this sectional,” UHS Coach Chuck Pack said. “They did some great things. We just struggled to get that consistent mindset out there all the time.”

The fourth set tested the Hillclimbers’ resolve, as they fell behind early and trailed by five midway through the set. Then they capitalized on a couple of Tipp errors and made some plays to fight back into it, relinquishing serve at 15-13.

The ‘Climbers stayed within a couple points before the Red Devils opened it up at 20-15 on a couple of mishit balls by Urbana.

That five-point margin proved to be too much, as the Red Devils maintained the advantage and won 25-20, forcing a fifth and deciding set.

It was a torrid, back-and-forth affair, with each team scoring on creative touches, diving for balls and communicating well with teammates. Neither team was able to string together more than a couple of points until late in the set, when Tipp turned a tie into a 15-10 win with a handful of points.

For Urbana, Hunter Rogan had 20 kills and 13 digs, Mckenzee Martin had 14 kills and 4 blocks, Kaelyn Bertsch had 12 kills, Olivia Dunham had 24 assists and 9 digs, Pierce had 21 assists and Katy Curnutte had 13 digs.

“I’m proud of them. That’s one of the better games I’ve seen them play this year and that’s all you can ask for,” Pack said.

WL-S hires baseball coach

John Payer has been hired to lead the Tigers’ baseball program. He takes over the program from Rob Rogan, who left last spring.

Payer is a West Liberty resident and is employed by the Ohio State Patrol.

Junior high cross country

The Big Orange Middle School Cross Country team finished its season at the Yellow Springs Invitational.

The boys placed 7th out 10 teams.

Standouts for the Tigers included Noah Smith 11th 11:56; Gavin Harrison 24th 12:31; Cade Clerico 29th 12:55 and Hayden Kennedy 46th 13:33.

The girls placed 1st out of 11 teams.

Standouts for the Tigers included Katelyn Stapleton 2nd 11:56; Grace Adams 4th 12:32; Madison Bahan 5th 12:37; Payton Umphries 10th 13:22 PR; Lydie Moell 14th 13:46 PR; Savannah Weaver 25th 14:08 PR and Tory Pawelko 48th 15:18 PR

The WL-S girls finished their season with a record of 114-4.

Bundle Up Drive

The West Liberty-Salem girls cross country team will be sponsoring the 2nd Annual Big Orange Bundle Up Hat and Glove Drive through Oct. 31. New gloves and hats can be donated at the WL-S high school office and cafetorium and at the Big Orange Shoe Shop in West Liberty. Donations can also be made during the WL-S Homecoming Parade on Thursday as the girls team will collect hats and gloves during the parade route.

Last year the team was able to donate hats and gloves to over 75 families in need in our community. For more information, contact Ann Vogel at (937) 465-0931.

Triad alumni game

The Triad Athletic Department invites all boys basketball alumni to participate in an alumni game against the current team. The junior varsity game will begin at 6 p.m. followed by the varsity game at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6.

Please email Coach Matt McCurdy at [email protected] for more information.

Urbana’s Mckenzee Martin taps the ball over the net past a Tippecanoe blocker Wednesday at Tecumseh.
https://www.urbanacitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2015/10/web1_Martin102115.jpgUrbana’s Mckenzee Martin taps the ball over the net past a Tippecanoe blocker Wednesday at Tecumseh.

Citizen staff report

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