Closing with win

MUNCIE — The schedule has been a juggernaut.

After visiting Class 2A No. 6 Wapahani on Thursday, the Patriots headed to the Ball State University campus Saturday. Awaiting them were another top-10 team from Class 2A and the defending Class 1A state champions.

It was a challenging day, but they were able to close on a high note.

Bouncing back for a 26-24, 25-20 victory over the Fairfield Falcons, the Jay County High School volleyball team finished fifth in the Shondell Family Invitational at BSU’s Ball Gymnasium. It dropped its two matches in pool play, falling first to the host Class 2A No. 10 Burris Owls 25-21, 25-15 and then to the Class 1A No. 1 Trinity Lutheran Cougars 25-15, 25-20.

Libero Lani Muhlenkamp and setter Paisley Fugiett, both seniors, were named to the all-tournament team. 

“I think both of them, really just their leadership skills on the court … they’re just solid kids who don’t really make a lot of errors,” said JCHS coach Amy Dillon. “They do a good job in the gym during practice being leaders. I know their teammates look up to them.”

The rebound to win the final match of the day against the Falcons (3-4) mixed balanced defense across the back line, strong serving from a pair of seniors and a varied offensive attack.

Muhlenkamp and Fugiett anchored the defense with eight digs apiece, while Elizabeth Barnett and Hallie Schwieterman each added six and Kayla Jetmore and Carley Trinidad had six apiece.

Muhlenkamp racked up nine service points while Jetmore totaled half of her six points with aces.

Schwieterman had a team-high five kills while Maria Hemmelgarn and Barnett added four apiece. And as JCHS utilized a different lineup, Fugiett became an extra attacking weapon with three kills.

“Paisley did really well as a hitter,” said Dillon. “When I started running that 6-2 and telling them to hit the corners and hit down the line, Paisley did a great job with that …”

“I still don’t think that we were probably on our best game,” she added. “We still made a lot of errors. … On the day as a whole we made a lot of errors.

“I just felt like we didn’t serve very aggressive either. … But we continued with that (6-2) lineup and tried some kids in some different spots. So we were able to do that and still came out with a win.”

Jay County broke out the new lineup — it utilized Ella Rigby as a second setter and freshman Emery Forthofer as a left-side hitter — after taking the two-set loss to Burris and struggling to a 25-14 defeat in the opening set against Trinity Lutheran (8-7). It paid immediate dividends, with the Patriots jumping out to a 5-1 lead on Muhlenkamp’s serve and pushing ahead 10-3 via kills from middle hitters Brenna Schmiesing and Hemmelgarn and a couple of Cougar attack errors.

A JCHS service error and a couple of aces brought Trinity Lutheran back before a Forthofer kill broke up their run. But the Cougars scored five more in a row to claim the lead.

Kills from Maria Hemmelgarn and Barnett helped even the score again, and the Patriots were still within 19-18 following a quick tip from Fugiett. But the powerful Cougars turned to star middle Rachel Bonde for a block and a kill down the stretch as they pulled away for to finish the match 25-19.

As they competed with one of the state’s top programs, Muhlenkamp consistently kept the Patriots in points as she came up with a dozen digs.

“I just think Lani just has a great platform,” said Dillon. “And she communicates well and doesn’t get real rattled. …

“And mentally, she’s tough.”

The lineup shift provided some opportunities — Rigby had four assists, Forthofer recorded her key kill and Chloe Muhlenkamp got some time along the back line — and is something Dillon will likely use again, particularly in tournament play.

“I just think some of our defenders just aren’t doing what I’m expecting them to do, and I drew that up last night and thought I’d give it a shot — save it if it works well,” she said. “I thought it worked really well.”

Schmiesing’s seven kills paced Jay County in the loss to Burris (8-1), while Hemmelgarn followed with five and Mya Kunkler had four. Hemmelgarn and Kunkler also had three blocks apiece. Barnett led the defense with nine digs, and Fugiett totaled 14 assists and six digs.