Third-ranked New Knoxville ends Indians' season (10/25/06)

NEW BREMEN, Ohio - The Indians came into the tournament as one of the hottest teams in the state. But they couldn't overcome perhaps the only team which was playing even better.

After dropping an "Instant Classic" opening game, Fort Recovery's volleyball team couldn't recover. It struggled at the open of all three games Tuesday at New Bremen, falling 30-28, 25-21, 25-22 in the championship match to the Division IV No. 3 New Knoxville Rangers.

"I don't know, we just didn't come to play," said FRHS coach Diana Rammel, who could find little to say immediately after watching her team lose for the first time all month. "We just couldn't ever get anything going."

The Indians (17-7) fell into large deficits in each of the three games, but the tone was set in the marathon opener in which both teams had multiple chances to win.

After falling behind 10-5 early Fort Recovery pulled even at 14, and the game was tied on 15 different occasions. The Rangers (20-2), who lost just 10 games all year, had the first opportunity to end the opener with a 24-23 lead, only to have Nikki Kellermeyer miss wide right.

The squads traded points in sets of two - the Tribe missed a game-point chance on a double-hit, New Knoxville was stopped by a Lauren Wenning kill and both teams were called once for a net violation - until the score was even again, for the 15th and final time, at 28.

Alycia Niemeyer, who finished with a team-high 17 kills, took control for the Rangers from there, knocking a kill off of Wenning's block attempt. On its fourth game-point try, Niemeyer came up big again as she teamed with Haley Kruse for a block on Wenning and a momentum shifting 30-28 victory.

"Whoever, gets that first win - that's the momentum one. If we pull that game in ... I don't know what to say," said Rammel, whose team lost 17-15 in the fifth and deciding game when they visited New Knoxville during the regular season. "It makes a difference. If you get that first win under your belt you have a little bit more confidence."

Although the scores in each of the next two games were close, the Rangers were in control after winning the dramatic opener.

They never trailed in the final two games as they built leads of 18-8 in the first and 14-6 in the second, forcing Fort Recovery to try to climb out of a pair of massive holes.

The Tribe managed to get within 24-21 in the second game and 22-21 in the third, but could not come all the way back.

"That's big," said New Knoxville coach Jenny Fledderjohann of the game-one victory. "I knew coming in it was going to be a barn-burner. They're a good team and they've been playing really well. Diana's done a great job with them. We handled the pressure and we handled them coming right at us.

"That was our goal too," added Fledderjohann of the large leads early in each game. "The games that we've struggled in and gotten beat, we've gotten bad starts. It was key for us to get a good start."

Those losses have been few and far between for the Rangers, who have now won 10 straight matches. They fell in three games this year to Division III No. 2 Versailles (25-12, 25-21, 25-20) and St. Henry (25-19, 25-22, 26-24), and lost just four other games - to Fort Recovery (two), Minster (one) and Marion Local (one).

New Knoxville will play St. Henry (14-9) again in Thursday's district semifinal round at New Bremen. St. Henry won the first of the two sectional championship matches at New Bremen Tuesday, upsetting Division IV No. 1 Marion Local.

Niemeyer (seven points, two blocks) was joined on the attack by Nicole Wright, who finished with 16 kills to go along with a match-high nine points. Wright was honored as the Division IV District 8 Player of the Year Monday after Fort Recovery's Tiff Gaerke beat her out of Midwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors a week earlier.

Kruse finished with 38 assists, Natasha Fullenkamp had 17 digs and eight points and Anna Jaynes scored seven points.

"We're really blessed that way," said Fledderjohann, who also got big kills from Morgan Reineke, of her front-line play. "We've got some good hitters and some good blockers. They all played their role and did what had to be done. I was real pleased with all our play.

"Defensively I thought Natasha Fullenkamp did a great job."

Gaerke led all attackers with 25 kills and fellow middle hitter Wenning added 11, but the Tribe managed little else offensively.

Rammel said the team she's watched since taking over as coach in mid-September never really arrived on the floor in the tournament.

"One time at the end of the third game I saw my team. One time," she said. "And I need them out there all the time

"New Knoxville is a tremendous team. They're record shows it. They don't make too many mistakes.

"The defense came through on a lot of plays, but we couldn't capitalize on anything. We just couldn't get over that hump."

Gaerke added 10 digs, seven blocks and four points to her match-high kill total, and Wenning notched five blocks. Abby Niekamp had 37 assists and seven points, Vicki Roessner totaled 11 digs and Joanna Snyder had six points.[[In-content Ad]]