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Oct 22, 2024

No. 9 Lions deny Rivet's challenge | Sports | suncommercial.com

Rivet libero Lexi Frey dives to the floor to dig a serve from Loogootee in the Class A Loogootee Sectional championship match on Saturday. LOOGOOTEE — Rivet held the lead over Class A No. 9 Loogootee

Rivet libero Lexi Frey dives to the floor to dig a serve from Loogootee in the Class A Loogootee Sectional championship match on Saturday.

LOOGOOTEE — Rivet held the lead over Class A No. 9 Loogootee in three sets on Saturday, but the Patriots could only maintain that advantage in one of them, as the Lions roared to a 20-25, 25-19, 25-20, 26-24 volleyball win in the Class A Loogootee Sectional championship match at Jack Butcher Arena.

Rivet (12-10) had a bye in the sectional and advanced to the championship match with a 25-15, 25-12, 25-21, victory over North Daviess on Saturday morning.

In the nightcap it appeared that it might be Rivet’s night after it took the first set. The Lions controlled the second set, but both the third and fourth frames could have gone either way.

“That was the most fight and passion I’ve seen from them all season. Everyone wanted it so bad,” Rivet coach Gabi Hancock said. “Everyone was laying their bodies on the line to keep the ball up. I’m sure Mary’s (Herman) arm was hurting, but everyone was swinging away. We lost, but we should be proud of how we played.”

Herman took over when Rivet needed her in the opening set. Rivet took a 14-7 lead before the Lions scored the next six in a row. At 16-15, Herman slammed consecutive kills to take the lead back to three, and she had two more kills in a row to bump the margin to 21-15. Loogootee whittled its deficit to 22-19, but Herman notched two kills as Rivet won three of the next four points to grab the set.

Loogootee scored the first eight points of the second set to bully its way back into it. The gap got as big as 17-6, but Herman had three kills, and Claudia Herman and Helena Miller each had one as they narrowed the hole to 22-15. An ace from Piper Lewis got it to 23-17, and Jocelyn Thacker’s kill made it 24-19 before Loogootee closed it out.

Rivet went up, 5-1, in the third set, only to see Loogootee pile up points to pull in front, 10-7, prompting a timeout from Hancock. Another ace from Lewis tied it at 10, and Claudia Herman had kills to put the Patriots in front, 12-11 and 13-12. The set actually saw 10 ties with the teams swapping points from 10-20, and Loogootee taking the only two-point lead in the stretch at 18-16. Finally, at 20 all, the Lions ran off five straight points to put Rivet away.

“We adapted better to what they were giving us,” said Hancock, comparing Saturday’s match to the three-set, regular-season loss. “Our hitters were scared about their block (in the regular season), but tonight we were swinging it like we know how to swing. Overall our defense was so scrappy. We just played with so much passion.”

In the fourth set, Loogootee used a burst to break a 5-5 tie and go ahead, 10-6. Claudia Herman’s kills pulled the Patriots back even at 11, and Mary Herman’s kill put them up, 12-11. Neither team led by more than two points the remainder of the set.

Lexi Frey and Mary Herman had consecutive kills to tie it at 20, and points were swapped up until a tie at 24. The Lions claimed the next two to earn the sectional trophy.

Loogootee hosts its regional championship on Saturday and faces Christian Academy at 4 p.m. Shakamak and Springs Valley have the second match at Loogootee, playing their regional championship at 7 p.m.

Rivet’s seniors are Mary Herman, Frey, Miller, and Laney Oakes.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better group of seniors,” Hancock said. “They stepped up and helped me get acclimated to being coach for the first time. They came into practice every day and every game, and they gave 110%. They really laid the sweat down for this next group of girls coming up, and I could not have asked for a better group.”

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