LAPEL–The Wednesday volleyball match featured two teams who love to attack. Both Lapel and Tipton hammered spike after spike at one another from all angles. In the end, the Bulldog defense and a few well timed kills were the difference.
Senior Taylor Murdock had three blocks and denied numerous kill attempts and sophomore Zoe Freer gave the Bulldogs separation late in the match as Lapel held off the Blue Devils in four sets, 25-14, 20-25, 25-22, 25-17.
Clinging to a 17-14 lead in the fourth set, setter Isabel Anderson found Freer on the right side on consecutive points for kills down the sideline. That propelled the Bulldogs on a match ending 8-3 run and added Freer to a list of five Lapel players with at least five kills.
“When we get all of our hitters going, it is impressive,” coach Hilary Eppert said. “We did that for the most part tonight.”
Junior Emily Eppert led Lapel with 15 kills and sophomore Makynlee Taylor celebrated her 16th birthday with six kills and a block. Anderson and Murdock also had five kills along with Freer.
Two of Murdock’s blocks came in a first set that saw the Bulldogs jump out quickly to a 13-5 lead. During the set, Tipton junior outside hitter Rachael Ressler was kept out of the stat sheet with no kills. But that turned around in the second set for Ressler and the Blue Devils.
“I knew after the first set, (Tipton) would come out strong,” coach Eppert said. “The quality of the team and their athleticism, I knew they would step up. I’m super proud of the way we fought back in the third and fourth sets.”
Ressler would finish the match with 13 kills for Tipton (6-7), including five in the second set.
Murdock and Anderson blocks on consecutive kill attempts and a booming kill by Freer were key as Lapel (8-3) hung on in the third set.
Murdock says there is nothing like denying your opponent a point with defense.
“It’s a good feeling when it goes off your hands and there is nothing they can do about it,” she said. “It’s a big surprise to them.”
Lapel got long service runs by senior Camryn Carpenter, who had two aces, and junior Macie Schmitt, who had 13 digs, to take control in the fourth set.
Anderson had 31 assists for the Bulldogs, who will close out August with a 6 p.m. match tonight at Tri-Central.
In the junior varsity match, Lapel beat Tipton in two sets, 25-21, 25-22. Hayley Granger and Karlie Hutton had four kills each and Katie Lehman had six assists. The Bulldogs had 16 aces in the match, including three apiece by Granger, Makenna Bauer, and Avery Bailey.
