Indians remain undefeated

FORT RECOVERY — The Indians have started the season scorching hot.

The calm, confident group of seniors kept the streak rolling as they fought through the Tigers’ runs to keep the match under control.

Fort Recovery High School’s volleyball team remained undefeated as it swept the Midwest Athletic Conference-rival Versailles Tigers 25-17, 25-23, 26-24 Thursday.

The Tigers found ways to put together three runs through the second and third sets, but Fort Recovery never panicked. Each time, the Tribe found ways to end the run and regain the lead.

“The big thing is, you just have to take it one at a time,” FRHS coach Travis Guggenbiller said. “So, first we had to start with mentality.”

The Indians (7-0, 2-0 MAC) opened the second set with three unanswered points on an error by Sarah Stammen, an ace from Kayla Heitkamp and a Kennedy Muhlenkamp kill.

An error by Muhlenkamp gave Versailles (3-6, 0-2 MAC) its first point of the set, sparking the first run. It scored five points on the error, two kills, an ace and a rotational fault.

FRHS senior Saige Leuthold ended the run with a kill. She followed the play up with a block to tie the game back up at 5 apiece.

“Our mindset is always so positive whether we get down or get up,” Leuthold said. “It’s always great to see we can come back when we get down.

“Our B balls were working well — the quick set to the middle — and we were able to hit around the block a lot.”

Just a few points later, Versailles went on the largest run of the game, rattling off seven in a row.

Taylor Wagner was serving for the Tigers and finding almost every hole she could in the Indians’ defense. During the stretch, she served up four aces, shifting all of the match’s momentum to Versailles.

The Indians’ struggles to return a serve prompted Guggenbiller to call a timeout to try and settle his team. The run ended on a double-hit violation with the Tigers up 15-7.

“When I called that timeout I told them, ‘We have to shut those doors, ignore the past and focus on the next ball,’” Guggenbiller said. “I think that was the area that got us back the momentum in that second set.”

The team also did a better job taking care of the ball the rest of the set, making sure either Muhlenkamp or Heitkamp got it in the middle to set up a kill.

A five-point run that included back-to-back kills by Mara Pearson helped pull the Indians within three before eventually tying the game at 22 and pulling out a 25-23 victory. Pearson’s kills played large parts in shifting the momentum back to Fort Recovery, as the crowd started to get back into the match.

“I really think it’s our energy,” Pearson said. “This is the biggest crowd we’ve had yet and our student section always comes in amazing.

“It’s also the trust we have within our team. It’s not just one leader, it’s a team full of leaders and we hold everyone to that standard. So if someone makes a mistake we know we’ll get the next one and we don’t ever doubt our teammates.”

That trust in one another showed as the ball was spread around all throughout the match. Seven players recorded kills in the match. Teigan Fortkamp led the Indians with seven, while Pearson, Muhlenkamp and Leuthold followed with six, five and four respectively.

FRHS also had nine blocks in the match. Fortkamp also led with three, while Leuthold and Karlie Niekamp blocked two apiece and Muhlenkamp and Guggenbiller blocked one.

The variety was on display at the end of the third set when Versailles took a late 24-23 lead.

Heitkamp broke the five-point run with a two-handed kill that she placed in the middle of the floor.

Fortkamp was up next with a powerful spike that the Tigers couldn’t return.

Errors by both teams kept the match tied before Paige Guggenbiller recorded a block and Cali Wendel ended the match with an ace.

“I’m very proud of how my team hustles,” Guggenbiller said. “I can’t ask for anything more than that. They go out there and they make some big plays.”