Page 28 - 2008-09 Volleyball State Finals Program

Last Year’s State Finals in Review

New Castle Rallies For First Volleyball State Title
The first three championship matches of the 2007 vol- The 26-24, 14-25, 18-25, 25-23, 15-9, decision solidi-
leyball state finals were quickly decided but the 4A contest fied New Castle’s first state title in a girls sport.
easily provided the most drama as New Castle claimed a The Trojans (33-7) were on the verge of defeat trailing
thrilling come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Elkhart Memorial Elkhart Memorial, 2-1 in games, and down 23-20 in the
at Worthen Arena in Muncie. fourth, but rallied for five consecutive points to win 25-23
and send the match to a deciding fifth session.
In the fifth game, New Castle used the momentum
to jump out to a quick lead and never relinquished it. The
Trojans led 10-9 before winning the last five points as the
team spilled onto the floor in celebration.
Macey Elyea led New Castle with 21 kills and Hayley
Benninger added 20. Caitlin Cox finished with 36 digs on
defense and setter Sara Metroka ended with 45 assists.
Jennifer Krumwiede led the Chargers offense with 21 kills
and showed the way on defense with 31 digs. Elkhart Me-
morial finished 36-4 falling short of capturing the school’s
first state title in any sport.
In the semifinal round, the Chargers fell behind losing
to Carmel in the opening game but rallied to take the next
three to take earn their first appearance in a state champi-
onship match. New Castle took a 3-1 decision from Floyd
Central in its semifinal also qualifying for the title match for
the first time.
New Castle was headed by second year coach Alan
Davis. Elkhart Memorial’s leader was Jacquie Rost.

Bellmont Claims First Volleyball State Championship
Bellmont won its first state volleyball championship, the second game, Bellmont fought back tying the match at 21-
school’s first in any sport other than wrestling, by defeating 21. The Squaws would eventually win the game 27-25 and
Mishawaka Marian, 3-0, in the 3A championship match. take a 2-0 lead in the match. A tightly contested third game
Coach Craig Krull’s Squaws battled past Mishawaka saw more of the same as Bellmont finished off the match
Marian (35-5) by a 25-16, 27-25, 25-23 score. After winning by a score of 25-23.
advancing to the state finals three previous years (1978, Bellmont advanced to its first championship match by
1984, 2005), Bellmont (33-5) moved past the semifinals defeating Brebeuf Jesuit (26-10), with a 3-1 victory. Misha-
for the first time, earning the right to compete for a state waka Marian reached the final for the second straight year
championship. with a 3-0 victory over Jasper (26-11).
Bellmont senior middle hitter Cindi Miller led the
Squaws with a team-high 15 kills, with a .333 hitting
percentage. Senior outside attacker Kylee Lehrman added
eight kills, along with four assists, and 10 digs. Senior
setter Christina Baker handed out 28 assists to go along
with her 18 digs and three kills. Freshman libero Chelsea
Colclasure chipped in 11 digs and an assist.
Senior middle hitter Katie Britton paced Mishawaka
Marian with a game-high 17 kills. Senior middle hitter
Stephanie Kreager added 11. Junior outside attacker Claire
Farkas recorded eight and 13 digs, while sophomore setter
Katie Mischler recorded a match-high 34 assists.
In game one, Bellmont took an early lead and did not
look back, winning 25-16. After trailing for much of the

26 IHSAA - Pure Spirit. Pure Sport!

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