October 22, 2019 at 4:11 a.m.
Fortkamp fires Fort to final
Indians sweep Thunderbirds to set up third meeting with St. Henry
Fortkamp fires Fort to final
Copyright 2019, The Commercial Review
All Rights Reserved
KALIDA, Ohio — The Indians couldn't shake the Thunderbirds in the first set despite having it go in their favor.
The second set was much of the same, but a late run put it away.
After watching a three-point lead disappear in the third, the Indians went back to what was working for most of the night.
A Paige Fortkamp attack.
Fortkamp broke a tie with a tip for her final kill of the night, Paige Jutte blocked a T-Bird attack and a setting error put the match away as the Fort Recovery High School volleyball team swept Lima Central Catholic 25-22, 25-16, 25-22 in the Division IV Northwest District semifinal on Monday.
“We knew this was going to be a battle,” said FRHS coach Chelsea Kahlig, whose sixth-ranked Indians (19-5) advance to the district championship against top-ranked St. Henry. The Redskins, who beat the Indians twice this season already, swept Crestview in the first semifinal earlier Thursday.
“At this time of year we just got to expect that everyone is going to bring their A-game and we have to push each other even more,” Kahlig added.
Fortkamp, who had a match-high 21 kills, said it was the girls talking on the court that was the biggest catalyst for the second-seeded Indians being able to hold off the Thunderbirds (19-6), who were seeded fifth.
“Our communication has stepped up since the start of this season,” she said. In the sectional final on Thursday, the Indians rode 20 aces to a sweep of Columbus Grove. “Coaches have really been harping on us and we have really stepped it up in tournament.”
Kierra Wendel, responsible for half of the team's aces in the sectional final, was barking commands to her hitters from the back row. Fortkamp, one of the aforementioned attackers, rifled kill attempts from all six positions on the court.
But it was the tip from the right side that gave the Indians a lead they never gave up after spending most of the third set either playing from behind or tied.
“We didn't come out and serve like the gameplan was,” Kahlig said. “The girl that had the most attempts was Paige Fortkamp, which was a huge plus because usually that's not the case. The girls that usually make runs, it didn't happen.”
In the opening set, Olivia Patch had a pair of blocks and a kill as part of a run of six straight FRHS points that put the Indians out front, 8-3. A five-point run later in the set gave the Thunderbirds a short-lived 15-14 advantage, and the set was then tied at 15, 17 and 22, the last of which forced Kahlig into taking a timeout.
Rammel, who was second on the team with eight kills, had back-to-back points and Fortkamp smashed one to secure the set.
Patch's four blocks were a team high. Hope Wendel and Chloe Showalter set up their teammates to the tune of 19 and 15 assists respectively, and Kierra Wendel led the Indians with 20 digs.
Set two was a back-and-forth affair that had the score tied six times through the first 18 points. Fortkamp tallied three kills in the span of five points that helped Fort Recovery nab an 11-8 advantage. Lima Central Catholic scored five of the next six points for a 13-12 lead before the Indians closed it out on a 13-3 run.
“Usually serving is our strength,” Kahlig said. “Going in we knew LCC was scared of our height and they would give us those off shots. We were mentally prepared for that but we don't face a whole lot of teams that continue to tip on us. It was a little bit of an adjustment.
“We're experienced enough that when it came to crunch time they found a way to get it done and we're proud of them for that.”
Thursday's district final will be the third time Fort Recovery and St. Henry meet this season, with the latter taking each of the previous two meetings. The Redskins won in two sets back on Aug. 31 in an invitational they hosted, then won the Midwest Athletic Conference meeting Oct. 3 in three sets.
Fortkamp is pumped for the opportunity to get a third crack at the Tribe's conference rival.
“It's a little more exciting because you know it's going to be a good game because they're a MAC school,,” she said. “So you know they're going to bring it. I'm just really excited.”
Kahlig was a little more brief in her thoughts heading into round three.
“You know what they say, it's hard to beat a team three times,” she said.”
All Rights Reserved
KALIDA, Ohio — The Indians couldn't shake the Thunderbirds in the first set despite having it go in their favor.
The second set was much of the same, but a late run put it away.
After watching a three-point lead disappear in the third, the Indians went back to what was working for most of the night.
A Paige Fortkamp attack.
Fortkamp broke a tie with a tip for her final kill of the night, Paige Jutte blocked a T-Bird attack and a setting error put the match away as the Fort Recovery High School volleyball team swept Lima Central Catholic 25-22, 25-16, 25-22 in the Division IV Northwest District semifinal on Monday.
“We knew this was going to be a battle,” said FRHS coach Chelsea Kahlig, whose sixth-ranked Indians (19-5) advance to the district championship against top-ranked St. Henry. The Redskins, who beat the Indians twice this season already, swept Crestview in the first semifinal earlier Thursday.
“At this time of year we just got to expect that everyone is going to bring their A-game and we have to push each other even more,” Kahlig added.
Fortkamp, who had a match-high 21 kills, said it was the girls talking on the court that was the biggest catalyst for the second-seeded Indians being able to hold off the Thunderbirds (19-6), who were seeded fifth.
“Our communication has stepped up since the start of this season,” she said. In the sectional final on Thursday, the Indians rode 20 aces to a sweep of Columbus Grove. “Coaches have really been harping on us and we have really stepped it up in tournament.”
Kierra Wendel, responsible for half of the team's aces in the sectional final, was barking commands to her hitters from the back row. Fortkamp, one of the aforementioned attackers, rifled kill attempts from all six positions on the court.
But it was the tip from the right side that gave the Indians a lead they never gave up after spending most of the third set either playing from behind or tied.
“We didn't come out and serve like the gameplan was,” Kahlig said. “The girl that had the most attempts was Paige Fortkamp, which was a huge plus because usually that's not the case. The girls that usually make runs, it didn't happen.”
In the opening set, Olivia Patch had a pair of blocks and a kill as part of a run of six straight FRHS points that put the Indians out front, 8-3. A five-point run later in the set gave the Thunderbirds a short-lived 15-14 advantage, and the set was then tied at 15, 17 and 22, the last of which forced Kahlig into taking a timeout.
Rammel, who was second on the team with eight kills, had back-to-back points and Fortkamp smashed one to secure the set.
Patch's four blocks were a team high. Hope Wendel and Chloe Showalter set up their teammates to the tune of 19 and 15 assists respectively, and Kierra Wendel led the Indians with 20 digs.
Set two was a back-and-forth affair that had the score tied six times through the first 18 points. Fortkamp tallied three kills in the span of five points that helped Fort Recovery nab an 11-8 advantage. Lima Central Catholic scored five of the next six points for a 13-12 lead before the Indians closed it out on a 13-3 run.
“Usually serving is our strength,” Kahlig said. “Going in we knew LCC was scared of our height and they would give us those off shots. We were mentally prepared for that but we don't face a whole lot of teams that continue to tip on us. It was a little bit of an adjustment.
“We're experienced enough that when it came to crunch time they found a way to get it done and we're proud of them for that.”
Thursday's district final will be the third time Fort Recovery and St. Henry meet this season, with the latter taking each of the previous two meetings. The Redskins won in two sets back on Aug. 31 in an invitational they hosted, then won the Midwest Athletic Conference meeting Oct. 3 in three sets.
Fortkamp is pumped for the opportunity to get a third crack at the Tribe's conference rival.
“It's a little more exciting because you know it's going to be a good game because they're a MAC school,,” she said. “So you know they're going to bring it. I'm just really excited.”
Kahlig was a little more brief in her thoughts heading into round three.
“You know what they say, it's hard to beat a team three times,” she said.”
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