Winamac Athletics

The Lady Warriors hit the ground running with the 2023 season at the 4th annual Winamac Volleyball Invitational on Saturday. The young Winamac team took on Tri-Township in match one to start the day with a 2-0 win. Starting sophomore middles, Brooke Rausch and Marissa Iverson, made their defensive debut against the Tigers, as well as junior Ally Campbell finding her way to the front row this season. After a one match break, the Warriors struggled to find their groove against the West Central Trojans and fell in a long-rallied 0-2 match. After some defensive adjustments, Winamac came out strong against North Newton in the first game of the silver bracket. However, some strong servers from the Spartans had the Warriors in a 7-15 hole during their first timeout. Winamac found a way to scrap back and closed the gap, losing set 1 in extra points - 24-26. Set 2 proved to be just as exciting with big hits from outside hitters Kaelyn O'Conner and Piper Link, as well as great defense from libero, Raegan Kasten, and defensive specialist, freshman Maggie Keller. Unfortunately, the Warriors had a few too many unforced errors to end the match with a 22-25 loss. "I was very happily surprised with the way we came out and meshed today. I wasn't sure what to expect after having only one short practice between Thursday's scrimmage and the tournament. Getting our setter, Linzy Walters, back in her position to help run the court, as well as making some of those defensive adjustments throughout the day were critical. I am so proud of our girls' attitudes and their acceptance of help from their teammates. They understand the importance of having someone in each role that can do that job the way it needs done in the moment," said Coach Kasten. "If we fix some of our unforced errors like missed serves and miscommunication on out of system plays, we will be able to put some good teams away this year. I am excited to see what the rest of the season has in store for these girls." Kaelyn O'Connor ended the day with 7 kills and 2 block assists, while Piper Link added 9 kills and 15 digs. Ally Campbell had 16 digs and 3 assists while Brooke Rausch added 8 kills and a block. Marissa Iverson racked up 5 kills and 2 blocks with Raegan Kasten throwing in 12 digs and 3 aces.