Clean sweep

The Patriots traveled north to the East Chicago Central High gym last night and then returned home with three victories - seven games won, none lost. The JVB team played East Chicago's freshman team and were victorious, 25-14, 25-13. The JVA team played East Chicago's JV team and came away with 25-18, 25-8 win. And the varsity cleaned things up with a 25-15, 25-14, 25-12 win. Last year the girls defeated ECC 25-10, 25-20, and 25-16, so this year's game was a little better.

The girls started out as if they forgot how to play. Both teams were getting many of their points from their opponents' errors, but the Patriots were making more. Because Calumet was the more talented team, however, the score was even at 8. Then the wheels wobbled a little (didn't exactly come off) as ECC ran off five straight to make it 13-8. They didn't exactly run them off themselves, as Calumet committed four errors in that run. Apparently that woke up the girls, because they then went on a thirteen-point run. Six of those points came off Ally aces. Taylor had a dink kill and Holly put one down in the run as well, but the rest of the points were from ECC errors, as they began to unravel. After giving up a couple, Taylor served two aces which alternated with ECC errors, and game 1 was history.

Game 2 saw CCS gradually opening a lead after being tied 3-3. Faith got a kill, then moved to the serving position and got two aces. The lead remained around three until a Holly kill made it 10-6, and that seemed to get CCS going. A kill by Faith, another by Holly, and a Taylor ace preceded a ECC hitting error, before the Cardinals made a nice block to stop the run. Calumet then started another run to get it to 20-9, but then the LGFS reared its ugly head and ECC scored three straight. A dink by Emily followed by an Emily ace got CCS back on track, and they soon closed it out with a Taylor ace.

Game 3 was more of the same, with Calumet jumping out to a 6-0 lead. Calumet got a little soft at this point and made a few errors, but at 8-4 they took off again. Behind a flurry of aces, a couple of kills and several errors by ECC, Calumet opened up an 18-5 lead. Then another mini-LGFS (three straight points by ECC) was followed by alternating errors by both teams, before CCS closed it out with a 5-2 run capped by a Faith ace. 

Back to some stiffer competition this weekend with the Kankakee Valley tournament. Games at 10, 12, 2 and then either 3 or 4, depending on how the girls do in the first three games. The JV tournament takes place at Lake Hills beginning Friday at 1PM. Our first game is at 5, then 7 and 10AM on Saturday before bracket play begins.

Cumulative record of the JV and varsity is now 17-3. JVA is 6-0, JVB is 2-0, combined JVA and JVB is 3-0, and varsity is 6-3.