Lady Vikings fall in four
Published 7:24 am Tuesday, October 16, 2007
By By TOM NYHUIS / Niles Daily Star
NILES – After dropping the opening game against Edwardsburg, the Niles Vikings varsity volleyball team worked hard in the final three games, but it wasn't enough to pull out the win as the Eddies went on to take a 3-1 win on the Vikings' home court Monday evening.
Edwardsburg won in four games 25-12, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23 in the non-league contest.
It was the all around effort by Samantha Brawley and Katie Bourbonnais that kept the Vikings in the final three games coming up with the digs off the hard hitting front line of the Eddies.
Brawley finished the night with 10 digs, six assist and an ace while Bourbonnais came away with 11 digs, six kills, one block and one ace. Karly Kennedy finished the night with seven digs. Kaylynn Stephenson led Niles with 10 kills.
Niles had the Eddies on the ropes in the fourth game with a chance to send it to a fifth game before they regrouped and closed out the evening with the 25-23 win.
"We played really well in the first game," Edwardsburg coach Sarah Cichowicz said following the contest. "Are passes weren't 100 percent and that usually not our team so that held us back but we made up for it and fought through when we needed to fight though and we held our composure when we needed that and the team really stepped up when we were down four or five points down. We didn't want to give up so that is a mature team right there."
Stephanie Koontz finished the match with 15 kills, three aces, three blocks and 16 digs for the Lady Eddies. Evie Tafunai had 16 kills, an ace and 25 digs, while Elise Mackling had 12 kills, 12 digs and an ace.
Edwardsburg also got 35 assists, 27 digs and two aces from C.C. Roberts and 17 digs and an ace from Jeni Bollenbacher. Callie Brey finished the night with 15 digs, four kills and a block.
The Lady Vikings are back in action on Wednesday in a Big 16 crossover match.
JV Volleyball
The Niles junior varsity volleyball team dropped another close match Monday night as visiting Edwardsburg posted a 25-22, 13-25 and 7-15 victory in non-conference play.
"Our serve receive and out of system plays were all executed nicely," Niles coach Alyse Hoyt said of the first game. "Unfortunately, the Eddies fought back and beat us in the second and third games of the night."
Jenna Grannell had 15 service points, three aces and three kills.
Niles also got thee kills each from Devyn Roberts and Savannah Wolnik, while Shannon McKeel added 10 assists.