The Noblesville volleyball team hosted its own Invitational on Saturday, finishing in third place.
The Millers won both of their pool play matches, sweeping Wes-Del 25-15, 25-18 and Plainfield 25-17, 25-18. Noblesville then lost a semi-final match to Franklin Central 25-21, 25-22, and beat Terre Haute North in the third-place match 25-18, 25-18.
That gave the Millers a 3-1 record for the day, and improved their season record to 5-8.
“I think the tournament went well,” said Noblesville coach Steve Hawthorne. “Every year, it’s gotten a little bit stronger. The field has been stronger, pushes us to get better. On the day as a whole, we’re still trying to learn who we are and figure out who we are and we’re not quite halfway through the season yet, but we see improvements every day.”
The Millers never trailed in their third-place match with Terre Haute North. The Patriots were within 8-7 in the first set when Noblesville ran off six unanswered points, helped out with kills from Erika Knieper and Rose Crist, an ace from Izabella Hines and a kill and block from freshman Ella Peter. The Millers cruised through the remainder of the set.
In the second set, Noblesville led 18-5, then held off a last rally by Terre Haute North. Peter made a successful tip on match point.
“She definitely had a really nice match,” said Hawthorne. “She’s definitely going to be a strong player for us down the road. The more she gets rhythm on the court, the better she gets. The more she connects with her setter, the better she gets.”
“I don’t really see a whole lot of negative to that last match,” said Hawthorne. “We were clicking on all cylinders. Passing was going really well, setting was good, our serving was really consistent, put a lot of pressure on them. A lot of positive.”
For the tournament, Lexie Almodovar hit 37 kills, while Crist put down 27 kills. Knieper collected 20 digs. Hines and Ava Nichols both served five aces, with Nichols also dishing out 98 assists.
The Millers will travel to Yorktown on Monday to face the Class 4A No. 1-ranked Tigers.
Hamilton Southeastern hosted the Southeastern Showcase on Saturday, with Westfield also participating. Both teams won the two matches they played.
The 4A No. 4 Royals swept North Central 25-16, 25-17, 25-18. Grace Hunter hit 12 kills, while Taylor Shelton had 10 kills and five aces. Chloe Whaley put down three kills in the middle and Julia Patras had four kills on the right side. Carly Mills made 17 digs.
Southeastern then toughed out a four-set win over Mount Vernon, 20-25, 25-23, 25-16, 28-26. Shelton had a solid match with 25 kills and 16 digs. Maddie Cole put down eight kills, while Delaney Garner had six kills and four solo blocks. Olivia Phillips handed out 43 assists and collected 16 digs, while Mills again had 17 digs.
The Shamrocks also needed four sets to get past Mount Vernon, 25-19, 25-22, 19-25, 25-23. Kenzie Daffinee hit 18 kills, with Sarah Weglarz dishing out 36 assists. Daffinee led in aces with five, while Weglarz collected 17 digs. Bailey Mendler had 16 digs. Anna Johnsey made three blocks.
Westfield then edged out North Central in five sets, 28-30, 25-13, 25-19, 19-25, 15-13. Daffinee put down 19 kills, with Kinsey McAfee spiking 14 kills. Weglarz had a strong offensive game with 51 assists and five aces. Mendler made 16 digs, Peighton Isley collected 10 digs and Grace Stewart had four blocks.
Both teams are back in action at home on Monday. Southeastern (12-4) hosts Pendleton Heights while Westfield (9-8) welcomes Carmel. The Greyhounds are 12-6 and dropped two matches at the Providence Round Robin on Saturday: Carmel fell to 4A No. 2 Providence 25-9, 19-25, 25-17, 25-16 and to 4A No. 9 Castle 25-17, 17-25, 18-25, 26-24, 15-8.
Hamilton Heights went 1-2 in the New Castle Invitational on Saturday.
The Huskies lost to Silver Creek 25-17, 25-20, defeated International 25-11, 25-14 and fell to Muncie Central 25-19, 19-25, 16-14. Hannah Crist totaled 22 kills for the tournament, Kennedy McGill collected 11 digs and Kelsey Smith handed out 31 assists.
Noblesville freshman Ella Peter (17) had several big hits for the Millers during their third-place match with Terre Haute North Saturday at the Noblesville Invitational. The Millers won that match 25-18, 25-18. Also pictured are Ava Nichols (9) and Lexie Almodovar (6). (Kirk Green)
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Westfield’s Kenzie Daffinee totaled 37 kills in two matches at the Southeastern Showcase on Saturday. (Kirk Green)