By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – It wasn't an easy day for the Niles varsity volleyball team.
The Vikings traveled to the Portage Northern Invitational and met with some of the state's top ranked teams.
Niles picked up two wins on the day, defeating Hanover Horton, 25-11, 25-14 and Vicksburg, 25-11, 25-23.
The Vikings fell to Portage Central, 25-16, 25-20; Marian, 25-9, 25-8; and Delton-Kellogg, 25-20, 25-16.
Niles lost in the Silver Bracket finals to Delton Kellogg 25-23, 25-15, 15-10.
"We worked hard to adjust to the speed of the game against some very strong opponents," Niles head coach Linda Goodrich said.
Stat leaders on the day were Kaylynn Stephenson, with 23 kills and 33 digs.
Mehgen Flynn had 20 kills, Brittany Wolverton and Patty Anton each had 13 and Katie Bourbonnais added 12.
Sam Brawley had an impressive 84 digs on the day. Karly Kennedy had 41 and Demi Schrader had 32. Schrader also added three aces and 54 assists.
Maddy Peterek had three aces and 25 assists for the Lady Vikes.
"Sam Brawley, Karly Kennedy and Demi Schrader were impressive most of the day defensively and were able to step up to some incredible hitters. This tournament certainly helped us in preparation to play in the Class A Districts," Goodrich added.
Niles will hit the court again on Wednesday when it hosts Lakeshore for a SMAC West Division game.