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SOUTHMONT VOLLEYBALL SECTIONAL: Mounties wear down Cougars to reach final
NEW MARKET — The North Putnam Cougar volleyball season came to an end Saturday in IHSAA Volleyball Class 2A Sectional No. 41 play at Southmont.
The host Mounties defeated the Cougars in four sets 24-26, 25-20, 25-21, 25-12 to eliminate North and advance to the championship game against Parke Heritage.
The loss was disappointing, but the Cougars battled a tough Southmont team and performed as well as they have all season as they pushed the Mounties all match.
North’s season ended with a 7-20 record, while the Mounties improved to 18-12. The Cougars improved at the end of the season which is all a coach can ask of their team.
“I think the girls came in this week locked in and ready to go. They wanted to get better. I think they came in and worked on what we are not good at and really improved. I am really proud of the kids and their effort,” North Putnam head coach Jenny Heron said.
The Cougars and the Mounties were evenly matched through the first part of the first set. The Cougars were able to pull away a little, turning a 9-9 tie into a 16-10 lead as Mackenzie Mason had a pair of aces, helping North extend the lead. Southmont rallied as the Cougars lost some momentum and some errors led to the Mounties going on a 13-5 run to take a 24-21 lead, but the Cougars were resilient.
“Mack (Mason) brings a lot of energy to our group. She played well for us today and I am so happy for her,” Heron said of her lone senior on the squad.
A Mountie error opened the door for Tori Detro to get a big block and Mason added a kill to tie the score.
The duo again finished the match with a point apiece as North had a 26-24 win in the first set.
“We were down (24-21), and we came back. I thought we had some great fight and really battled at the net,” Heron said as the Cougars rallied to win the set.
The Mounties took control in the second set as Ella Berry had five of the first 11 points for Southmont as it took a commanding 11-4 lead.
North Putnam began a rally that saw a Morgan Berry ace cut the lead to 13-12, but the Cougars could not get over the hump and take the lead.
North battled to stay even as Melanie Davies had a pair of kills, but the Mounties kept a small advantage through the set and finished with an Ella Berry kill and a 25-20 win to tie the match at 1-1.
“Morgan (Berry) had a good run back there for us. She provides some good things for us,” Heron said.
The Cougars took control early in the third set. North jumped out to an 8-2 lead as Detro had an ace and Hailee Daigle had a nice set directional point while Maylee Mason had a kill.
The Mounties rallied as North had a stretch of errors that hurt it and the Mounties cut the lead to 9-8.
Detro at the net provided another spark for the Cougars. The freshman had a sequence of double blocks and a kill to spark the Cougars to a 14-9 lead, forcing a Southmont timeout.
The Mounties regrouped and eventually took a 19-18 lead they would not relinquish en route to a 25-21 third set victory and a 2-1 lead in the match.
“Especially with Tori only being a freshman, I am excited to see where she will be. She did a lot for us today and I am proud of her,” Heron said.
As the other sets were, the teams were highly competitive early on as the teams battled to an 11-11 tie early in the set, but the Mounties' power was too much.
Ella Berry’s game from the left side of the net boosted the Mounties to a big lead, forcing a pair of Cougar timeouts, but they could not stem the tide and Southmont pulled away for 25-12 victory ending the match with a 3-1 win and advancing on.
“We played pretty well today. I think we kind of wore down in the later sets, but I am excited about this team next year and going forward,” Heron said.