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UNION CITY, Ohio — The Indians dismantled a team that came into the night with a 17-3 record.

That wasn’t enough to please their coach.

The Fort Recovery High School volleyball team took down the Mississinawa Valley Blackhawks, 25-19, 25-17, 25-22, on Monday in an effort that left more to be desired in the Indian camp.

“We won, but I’m going to be honest, I’m not very happy,” said Fort Recovery coach Travis Guggenbiller. “You can probably tell in my face, I’m not very happy.”

The main source of Guggenbiller’s irritation was a lack of defensive effectiveness for the Indians, who surrendered 31 Blackhawk kills in the three-set battle.

“I thought our defense was awful today,” Guggenbiller said. “That’s the part that frustrates me the most. I mean, we’re not making big plays defensively, we’re not putting our bodies on the ground, and that’s the part that’s been separating us all year.”

Though the defense wasn’t up to Guggenbiller’s standards, it did spark the Indians (8-11) in the third set. Despite holding a two-sets-to-none edge, Fort Recovery sputtered to begin set three, lagging behind 8-3. That’s when Trinity Rammel logged a remarkable dig, diving to a ball ticketed for the back corner and twisting her body while hoisting the ball upward with one fist. A few moments later, the Indians won the point on a Mississinawa Valley (17-4) attacking error.

“Trinity Rammel came in and played middle back for us, and she made that big one-handed dig on the line, and that literally changed the shift in momentum of the game,” Guggenbiller said. “And that’s what I’ve been trying to preach to these girls — big plays defensively change the momentum of a game, and that’s exactly what happened there.”

Rammel’s dig ignited a string of six straight Indian scores, erasing the early deficit and leading to a come-from-behind win to end the match.

While the impactful spear was Rammel’s only dig of the night, her effort was complemented by a bevy of standout statistical performances. Cameron Muhlenkamp led the Indian attack with 10 kills, while Bridget Homan (nine) and Brynn Willmann (seven) helped round out a balanced assault. Alexis Grisez added six kills and anchored the middle with a team-best three blocks.

Not only did the Indians rack up a plethora of kills, but they did so with efficiency.

“I think our hitting was really good tonight,” Muhlenkamp said. “We had a lot less errors than we’ve had in the past, and that was a big plus for us.”

In addition to their ability to pile up kills and minimize errors, the Fort Recovery attack found significant cohesion in less tangible ways, with their communication fueling Muhlenkamp’s big night.

“A lot of times I have people in the back row telling me where to hit,” Muhlenkamp said. “It’s a lot about just placement, so if I can kind of visualize the court and where the defenders are, I’m able to get a kill by putting it in the spot where they’re not.”

Supplementing Muhlenkamp’s prowess on the outside was the cohesion between freshman setter Kayden Ranly and her middles.

“I think our middle and setting connection has really improved a lot here,” Guggenbiller said. “Those girls have been working really hard. I think our setter is becoming a lot more aggressive, our middles have been working on their rhythm, which is really nice to see.”

While Guggenbiller took solace in a few aspects of his team’s performance, including their ability to compete and earn a victory despite a deviation from the typical routine on a non-school day, the defense remains a sore spot for the Indians. With just three matches remaining in the regular season, changes could be on the horizon as Fort Recovery gears up for its sectional match against Riverside on Oct. 15.

“We’re going to probably start throwing some girls in to get them prepared within our varsity lineup,” Guggenbiller said. “If we’re not going to step up defensively … if you’re not going to make the change, then we’re going to find someone who can on the bench.”