By MIKE MATHIS
NEW CARLISLE -- The Class 3A volleyball rivalry between New Prairie and South Bend St. Joseph has intensified in recent years, the Cougars may have been thinking, 'What rivalry?' as they left the court following Tuesday's 25-11, 25-14, 25-16 beatdown in a 64-minute Northern Indiana Conference match.
Cougars senior four-year starter Elise Swistek, a Valparaiso University recruit, registered 19 kills. Also impressive for NP was junior middle Ellie Michaels.
"We didn't have enough energy and were just trying to find our way as a team," St. Joe's Sammie Jurkovic said. "New Prairie came out and played a great game. We will play them again this season and we will be ready."
It was a listless outing for St. Joe, which had 25 errors, 18 of those hitting, and only 17 total kills, two fewer than Swistek.
"We have to learn and stop focusing on the negative stuff," St. Joe's Katie Schmitt, Swistek's long-time beach partner said. "We need to focus on the positive stuff."
"We struggle with our attitude," Nora Hosinski added. "All of us were raised better and know better. We need to come in with a better attitude."
While St. Joe coach Alisha Fransted was gracious in defeat, New Prairie's Jordan Staus didn't provide statistics and declined comment afterward.
"...You know I'm not going to talk to you either," she said.
Beach volleyball partners Elise Swistek and Katie Schmitt were on opposite sides of the net Tuesday as New Prairie played South Bend St. Joseph. The Cougars won in three games.
NORTH LIBERTY -- Crucial stretches late in the second and fifth games helped
John Glenn outlast South Central, 22-25, 26-24, 28-26, 16-25, 15-11, in a match-up of one-loss volleyball teams Monday.
Up a game, the Satellites looked like they were going to take a 2-0 lead at 24-21 in the second, but were riddled by mistakes in the stretch. Two hitting errors, a service error and a free ball passed out of bounds contributed to a string of five Glenn points.
The Falcons won the third game on a controversial deep dish sideways set over the net by a non-setter.
S.C. came back strong to force game five, which was tight with ties at five, six, seven, 10 and 11. The match boiled down to a game of four/win by two, and three hitting Satellites miscues sealed the outcome in favor of the Falcons.
Glenn junior captain Emma Knowlton dished the rock efficaciously to win MVP honors for her team, also serving five aces.
Tatum Wade was the Satellites MVP with multiple kills on the front and back rows, and uncanny court savvy. She's already one of the best players in Northwest Indiana, and she's only a freshman. S.C. 6-footer Mia Hooten, a promising basketball prospect, was a major factor in the middle, hitting kills to zone five past one blocker. Footwork is crucial and this orange baller brought white ball heat.
South Central's Wade sisters, junior Piper and Tatum, follow in the footsteps of sister Lexy, who is now playing at Purdue Northwest. Other strong contributors in the match for the visitors were middle hitter Lanie Criswell and opposite Hope Welsh.
S.C. takes on Morgan Township and Purdue recruit Emily Rastovski in a big Porter County Conference match Wednesday.
La Porte hosts Michigan City in an intra-county clash Thursday.
For all things local volleyball, follow Mike Mathis at @mathis_m_g
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