By RICHIE HALL
The Fishers volleyball team’s terrific season came to an end on Saturday, and it took the best to beat the Tigers.
Fishers fell to No. 1-ranked Yorktown in three sets, 25-16, 25-23, 25-17, in the championship match of the Class 4A Noblesville regional. The win kept Yorktown undefeated at 33-0, while Fishers’ final record was 25-5.
The Tigers played well, but Yorktown’s big hitting and tenacious defense kept Fishers at arm’s length. Yorktown steadily built a lead in the first set, which ended with consecutive kills by senior Kenzie Knuckles.
In the second set, the Tigers came close to doing something that only one other team has done all season: Take a set off Yorktown. Fishers trailed 18-10 in the set, but roared back to score eight straight points and tie things up at 18-18.
Bryn Roberts and Audrey Haworth started the run with kills. Haworth hit another kill to make the score 18-15 out of a Yorktown timeout, then Rose Duffy tipped a ball over for a Fishers point.
Roberts served an ace, forcing another timeout by Yorktown. Camryn Haworth put down a kill on the next point, and the score was tied.
A couple points later, Haley Soper’s block put the Tigers ahead 20-19. The back and forth continued, with Roberts spiking a kill to get Fishers ahead 23-22. But that would be all, as Yorktown won the next three points.
“We had some success on a couple attacking balls in the first set,” said Tigers coach Steven Peek. “But when you see it at six or seven different points in 49 rallies, it’s not going to stick out to you. We started getting streaks and going on some runs.”
Yorktown seized the momentum in the third set, leading 13-7, then 19-8. The Tigers made one last run, scoring five straight points to cut a 23-12 Yorktown lead to 23-17. Audrey Haworth hit two kills, Camryn Haworth had one and Soper made another block.
“One thing we’ve talked about, especially the last five weeks, is we can never have a point or a rally where we are giving up or don’t think we can win,” said Peek.
Yorktown took a timeout at that point, and then won the next two points. Knuckles ended the match with a successful block.
Audrey Haworth hit 12 kills for the Tigers, with Jada Allen putting down eight. Camryn Haworth hit seven kills, Roberts had four and Duffy hit two, in addition to 27 assists. On defense, Emma Rosenberg collected 16 digs, while Camryn Haworth had 10 and Audrey Haworth five.
In the semi-finals, Fishers beat Zionsville in three sets, 25-15, 26-24, 25-17. The Tigers cruised through the first set, with Roberts hitting back-to-back aces late in the set, and Camryn Haworth finishing things with a kill.
The second set was very tight. The Eagles led 7-2, then Fishers came back to lead 10-9. Neither team led by more than one point until the Tigers got ahead 21-19, then 23-20. Zionsville came back to tie the set at 24-24, then Allen hit back-to-back kills to close the set.
Fishers had an easier time in the third set, scoring five straight points to lead 22-14 late in the set. Camryn Haworth was the finisher again, hitting a kill to give the Tigers the match.
“I thought it was a really, really, really great start from us,” said Peek. “We have not always been the best team at starting matches, coming out strong, coming out right away and creating the big gap. But we did that and I do think that that allowed us to have some struggles and still win.”
‘BLAZERS FALL AT MORRISTOWN
University lost its semi-final match at the Class 1A Morristown regional on Saturday, falling to Indianapolis Lutheran 25-18, 25-15, 25-20.
The Trailblazers finished the season with an 18-8 record.
Fishers’ Jada Allen (7) and Bryn Roberts (4) go up to block a Yorktown hit during the championship match of the Class 4A Noblesville volleyball regional on Saturday. Yorktown beat the Tigers in three sets to win the regional. (Kirk Green)
Rose Duffy (13) and the Fishers team were celebrating a semi-final win over Zionsville on Saturday. (Kirk Green)