Winamac Athletics- WARRIOR MENTALITY

The Lady Warriors battled hard against a well versed Tippecanoe Valley team last night at Winamac's home debut for the 2023 season. While the match ended in a 3 set loss for the Warriors (16-25, 16-25, 18-25) , the energy on the court was that of a 3 set win. Winamac was point for point with Valley in set 1 up through a 14-14 tie when Tippecanoe Valley went on a 5 point serving streak to put the Warriors down 14-19. Coming out in set 2, Kaelyn O'Connor rattled off a 5 point string to give the Warriors the same 5 point advantage the Vikings had ending set one. One of 18 missed serves by Valley got the ball back on the Warriors side for another string of points by Brooke Rausch to put the Warriors up 8-4. Another tie at 14-14 put Winamac back in a serve receive hole, finally ending set three 16-25, Tippy Valley. Even being 2 sets down, Winamac came out strong is the third, but the experience of the Viking's front line was finally starting to wear on Winamac's defense at the net and in the backrow, giving Winamac the third set loss 18-25. "I am still so proud of the grit and grace these girls showed on the court tonight. They never hung their heads or got frustrated - they just stayed motivated; to get the next point, to pass the next ball, to make the next play. That's all I've asked for and we've finally gotten there. That's a huge step, mentally. Our youth and inexperience at the varsity level can be coached and taught. The mental game is the hardest." - Coach Kasten Winamac heads to Morgan Township tomorrow for another road game, starting at 6:30 EST.