Hamilton Southeastern won another all-county and Hoosier Crossroads Conference match on Thursday, sweeping Westfield 25-19, 25-13, 25-14 in the Royals’ gym.
The Shamrocks played close with Southeastern in the first set and during the first part of the second set. But the Royals, who are rated No. 4 in MaxPreps’ Class 4A rankings, pulled away quickly in the second set. The third set was the same, with Westfield leading 10-8 before HSE ran off 17 of the next 21 points.
Royals coach Jason Young credited his defense with playing well.
“The tenacity our back row had, just keeping stuff alive that normally would find the floor,” he said. “They made some plays tonight that were remarkable. I’m not surprised, but still, it’s nice to see when those kids make those plays and those are momentum-swingers.”
Carly Mills collected 20 digs for Southeastern, while Delaney Garner had three blocks. Maddie Cole made two blocks.
“She brings us a different dynamic in terms of everything she’s able to do,” said Young. “She’s able to run that slide, which opens things up for us. She’s able to get her hands so high and touch a lot of stuff.”
As for HSE’s offense, Taylor Shelton and Grace Hunter both hit eight kills, with Shelton also serving six aces. Olivia Phillips handed out 28 assists.
For the Shamrocks, Kenzie Daffinee put down 10 kills, with Anna Johnsey hitting eight kills and also making two blocks. Sarah Weglarz dished out 20 assists, and Bailey Mendler had 17 digs.
“There were definitely spots in the game where we played very well,” said Westfield coach Sandra Burks. “But we would have a little bit of a breakdown, usually in the passing area. We’re trying to learn to limit that to just two or three errors and then get right back at it. Tonight that just didn’t work in our favor. We’re pretty young and we’re working on that consistency. It’s still something we’re working on.”
The win was the fifth straight for the Royals, who are now 3-1 in the HCC and 14-4 overall. Westfield is 10-10 for the season, but has gone 5-2 in its last seven matches.
Southeastern is next in action Saturday morning at the Warren Central Invitational. The Shamrocks are off until Wednesday, when they host Muncie Burris, which is ranked No. 7 in Class 3A.
Noblesville lost a hard-fought HCC match with Zionsville on Thursday, 21-25, 27-25, 25-19, 26-24.
Ava Nichols handed out 50 assists for the Millers and made two blocks. Lexie Almodovar hit 19 kills and collected 12 digs. Rose Crist had 16 kills and four blocks, while Kayla Thompson made 18 digs.
Noblesville is 6-11 and plays matches at Cathedral on Saturday.
University defeated Liberty Christian in four sets Thursday, 23-25, 25-10, 25-13, 35-33.
The Trailblazers are 9-3 and will travel to Muncie on Monday to play 3A No. 7 Muncie Burris.
Hamilton Southeastern’s Olivia Phillips handed out 28 assists during the Royals’ win over Westfield on Thursday. (Kirk Green)
Westfield’s Kinsey McAfee gets ready to serve the ball. (Kirk Green)