Starfires fall in semi-state

BREMEN — The Starfires took a massive step last season, winning their first sectional title in nearly two decades.
They made another Tuesday night when they swept Whitko for their first regional title.
The next one will have to wait.
South Adams High School’s volleyball team stayed with the sixth-ranked Rochester Zebras in the first game of Saturday’s semi-state semifinal. But once it slipped away, so did the match.
Rochester dominated the second game, and although the Starfires fought back in the third, it was too late as their season ended with a 25-22, 25-14, 25-22 defeat.
“The second game, we just didn’t catch our breath,” said SAHS coach Ashley Buckingham. “They just kind of played too fast. There were some mistakes made because of that.
“But I was proud of how they came back out in game three with confidence and with poise, which is what we were focusing on. They fought in every point of that game. And that’s what we wanted to see.”
South Adams (26-9) and the Zebras (32-5), who later lost to No. 1 and defending state champion Wapahani in the semi-state title, went back-and-forth in the opening game with the former trailing just 23-22 following a Caralie Farlow ace. But Rochester coach Erin Cashen took a timeout, the next serve sailed long and setter Grace Pfeiffer caught the Starfires off guard with a quick tip that landed in the middle of the court to end the opening game.
The Zebras then started the second game with four straight points and never looked back. Keeping South Adams out of system with an aggressive service game, they later used a 13-2 run to put it out of reach.
“Volleyball is about momentum, and we got it back,” said Cashen. “That’s exactly what we were aiming to do, to start off strong and make sure we took care of our level. … And we wanted to play to our tempo. That’s what we did in the second game starting off.”
And while the Starfires grabbed the early lead in the third game, it was difficult for them to put runs together in part because of serving struggles. They committed four of their nine service errors in that final game, including a pair that went long to give Rochester its 24th and 25th points.
“What was unfortunate about that is we have really served fantastic so far in the tournament,” said Buckingham, whose team post an 84.7 service percentage in the defeat. “Some of our sectional games there were no service errors. Our regional game I think we might have had one. And they were aggressive serving.
“So it’s sad we had some issues with that today.”
The miscues in the serve receive and service games and the explosive offense of Hannah Towne were too much for the Starfires to overcome.
The Rochester senior’s best spurt came late in the third game when she recorded two kills and block of Madi Wurster in a four-point span to give her team a 23-20 lead. She finished with 20 kills — seven in each of the first two games and six in the third.
Wurster led South Adams with 14 kills, and Addie Wanner followed with 10 kills and a pair of blocks. Julie Grabau put up 29 assists, and Shania Neal finished with 12 digs.
The loss put an end to the best season in Starfire volleyball history. It included winning the regular-season Allen County Athletic Conference title, the fourth sectional crown in program history and the first regional championship. Buckingham urged her seniors to revel in those successes.
“And the girls coming back, may this light a fire under you,” she said. “The girls last year, they lost in regional. Their goal was to get back there and win the regional. And they did it.
“So I told those who are returning, ‘Your goal is to get back to this stage and win.’”