Indians hold off Panthers

ROCKFORD, Ohio — During the regular season, the Panthers dominated the opening two games against Fort Recovery before holding on for a five-game victory.
With their season on the line Wednesday, the Indians turned the tables on their conference rivals.
After winning the first two games, the Tribe used a 7-0 run in game four to stave off a comeback try by host Parkway as it earned a 25-20, 25-23, 16-25, 25-15 opening-round Division III sectional win.
“It does feel good, because we only won one (Midwest Athletic Conference) match,” said FRHS coach Chelsea Rogers, whose team fell 24-13, 25-14, 22-25, 14-25, 15-11 to the Panthers on Sept. 18. “I’d rather win this.
“At that point we didn’t have Carley Stone. We were running a 6-2 and I think things are a little more consistent with (Cassidy Rammel) setting all the way. Being a senior and having that role for four years now, I think that makes things a little more smooth.”
Although the Indians (9-13) took the first two games, Parkway had the momentum late in the second and carried it into the third.
The Panthers (8-14) used a 9-1 run to take control on the way to closing the gap to two-games-to-one, and then rolled out to a 4-1 lead in game four. But Fort Recovery snuffed out the comeback hopes.
After the teams traded points to a 7-3 Parkway lead, a Morgan Lennartz kill kicked off a 6-0 Tribe run.
Tori Lennartz notched two kills during the stretch, Kirsten Jutte added one and Stone ripped an ace off the arms of Sarah Gerhon.
An FRHS attack error stopped the run, but only briefly. The Indians added another five points in a row, and earned 19 out of 23 during their dominant stretch.
Rogers was pleased that her team was able to fight off the Panthers and reclaim the momentum en route to the win.
“We served a little more aggressive,” she said of the fourth game. “I think the game that we lost we only scored four points off of our serves. Those are defensive errors. That’s the first time this season that we’ve been able to come back. After losing that third one, it was good to see us fight there.
“We’ve switched things so much this year. It’s finally feeling like we’re able to be consistent. It’s a good time to feel that way I guess.”
Kendra Siefring and Stone led the way as the Indians took control early. Back-to-back Siefring kills started a 4-0 run for the Tribe, and Stone added a pair of her own as it pushed its lead to 20-13.
Siefring, a middle hitter, led the squad with 17 kills, and Stone and Tori Lennartz added 12 apiece from the outside. Rogers said Stone has been key to solidifying the FRHS attack.
“I think she had three kills with her left hand,” Rogers said of the freshman, who was called up to the varsity squad late in the season. “She’s ambidextrous.
“We just needed an outside. We weren’t killing the ball. … We just saw what she was doing at the JV level, crushing the ball. That’s what we were needing on the outside. With her and Tori now on the outside, we’re able to rely and not count so much on Kendra. That’s helped us out big time.”
The Indians rolled out to a 9-2 lead in the game and were up 16-7 before Parkway turned the tide. It pulled even at 23 before a Tori Lennartz kill and Panther error gave the game to Fort Recovery.
But the home team kept the momentum on the way to a dominating game.
“I think it started at the end of the second,” said Parkway coach Jeff Marbaugh. “The first two games were not good starts. We fought our way back in the second one, got close. Then we controlled the ball in the third game. That’s been our story the entire season. When we control the ball, we can play with anybody.”
But the Indians reclaimed control with their big run in the fourth game to finish off the match.
Morgan Lennartz gave the Tribe a fourth weapon up front as she recorded eight kills to go along with a team-high four blocks. Rachel Pugh totaled a team-best 18 digs, and Rammel finished with 22 assists.
Fort Recovery advances to the sectional championship game at 6 p.m. Saturday. They will travel to Ottawa-Glandorf to take on the host Titans as they seek their first sectional title since 2009.