By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Fabulous! Incredible! Wow!
Those were Niles head coach Linda Goodrich's exact words after her Lady Vikes ended Kalamazoo Central's season with a win in the opening game of the Class A District Volleyball Tournament.
Niles took an extremely close 30-28 win in the first game and fell in the second, 26-24. By the third and fourth games, though, Niles kept the game a little more out of reach and took 25-19 and 25-16 wins .
"There was not one MVP on the court tonight for Niles, it was the entire team," an excited Goodrich said. "We had such chemistry, each player came in and did the job they were supposed to do."
Goodrich said her team walked in with a very simple game plan – to be aggressive in serving and in their own serve receive offense. "The team really came together and put that plan in action," she said.
Statistically for the Vikings, Kaylynn Stephenson ended the night with seven kills and 16 digs. Karly Kennedy had 11 digs and three aces. Katie Bourbonnais had nine kills, two aces and four blocks. Mehgen Flynn had a team high 14 kills, while Brittney Wolverton and Patty Anton each added five. Anton also had four blocks. Sam Brawley ended with 23 digs, while Stephanie Stoops had nine. Maddy Peterek had 25 assists and Demi Schrader contributed eight.
"The statistics are across the board for us. We had such a total team effort that each of the 10 players contributed in all ways possible. Our defense and passing unit had some pretty amazing plays tonight. We were amazing at second and third attempts when they blocked the ball back to our court," Goodrich added.
The win advances Niles to the next round of district play on Friday, where the Vikes will take on Portage Northern at 4:30 p.m.