NEW PALESTINE — When you’re playing against a group of athletes with the speed and agility of a college team, you’re going to be in for a fight, New Palestine head volleyball coach Kelli Whitaker said.
The Dragons sustained a tough loss Tuesday night in their match against the still-undefeated Yorktown Tigers, who have yet to lose a single set all season. While the Dragons offered up a battle, they were ultimately unable to stand up to the team ranked first in the state and fourth in the nation.
The Tigers won 25-13, 25-15, 25-13.
With a 17-5 overall record, the Dragons have been stockpiling up wins against formidable teams over the course of the season. But they knew exactly what they were up against Tuesday night.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryWhen Yorktown comes to your gym, you ought to know what to expect, Whitaker said. And they brought what was anticipated: Outstanding ball handling and very few errors.
“Their ball control is insane,” Whitaker said. “They’re all over the place, and it’s right on top of their setters’ head every single time. The blockers have no time to react.”
“We played well at times, and we had moments when we were battling with them,” Whitaker added. “But it was too far in between.”
From the start of the first set, Yorktown established a blistering pace. The Dragons struggled to keep up with the onslaught of spikes their conference rival continually sent over the net. The Tigers took the first set 25-13.
Yorktown maintained their lead as the game went on, but the Dragons managed to bite back midway through the second set, narrowing the gap and nearly evening-out the scoreboard. Dragons senior Rylie Sturgeon managed 10 digs, alongside Lydia Jones, who racked up 10 solid kills.
But after a series of relentless attacks spearheaded by Yorktown senior Kenzie Knuckles and Courtney Watkins, the Tigers swiftly regained their footing and finished out the second set 25-15.
Yorktown wrapped up set three as quickly as the first, climbing ahead early 25-13, finishing the set and match.
The Dragons came in with a mentality to compete and protect their side of the net, Whitaker said. They didn’t fall apart; they were just up against a team who played better.
“This is definitely a learning experience for us,” Whitaker said. “We’re not going to play a team as good as that for the rest of the season. We’ve got some good wins against some solid team, and I don’t think anybody expected us to be where we are.”
