Lady Vandals win Altamont Tournament

ALTAMONT – Seniors Austyn Krueger and RaeChelle Leiken combined for 59 kills in four matches, leading the Lady Vandals to the championship at the Altamont Tournament on Saturday.

Each player more than doubled her season total in kills to lead Vandalia past South Central for the first time in many years in the final game of pool play and then by Cumberland in the title game to give the team a 6-0 start for the first time since coach Allison Smith took over the program in 2004.

“It was a group effort,” Smith said. “Everybody contributed in some way, whether it was in the championship game or one of the games that got us here.

“It takes everybody on this team to get the job done.”

After coming out of pool play with a perfect record following a tense 26-28, 25-19, 17-15 win against South Central, the Lady Vandals needed three sets to dispatch Cumberland, 25-9, 24-26, 15-12.

In the first two games of pool play, Vandalia defeated Beecher City, 25-10, 25-8, and Lincolnwood, 25-16, 25-17.

“I’m very surprised and glad that we won (the tournament) as seniors,” said Shelby Foster. “I knew South Central would be a tough match, and I’m glad we finally beat them.”

vs. Cumberland

After dominating the first set, the Lady Vandals had to fend off Cumberland in the final two sets of the championship match.

The Lady Vandals served five aces and had 10 kills in the first set, and it appeared they would make quick work of the Lady Pirates.

But Cumberland had a string of aces to take the lead in the middle of the second set and fended off Vandalia, which tied the match on points 20-24, to force a third set.

“I said before the third set, ‘You guys have never quit on me yet, so I don’t expect you to now,’” Smith said. “I thought they came out and did a fantastic job closing it out.”

There was no quitting, as Vandalia knocked off Cumberland, 25-9, 24-26, 15-12, to win the championship plaque.

Leiken recorded six of her game-high 12 kills in the third set, including three in four points to erase an early lead for Cumberland.

But her biggest kill of the game came with Vandalia trailing, 10-9.

After a bad serve-receive, junior Megan Godoyo chased down the loose ball and Leiken got it over the net for a kill to tie the set.

Back-to-back errors for each team moved the score to 11-11, and senior Shelby Foster served an ace and two more points before Leiken pounded her final kill to give Vandalia a 14-11 lead. The match would end on a Cumberland hitting error.

Saturday, Sept. 1
at Altamont
Vandalia 25, Cumberland 9
Cumberland 26, Vandalia 24
Vandalia 15, Cumberland 12
Kills: Leiken, 12; Krueger, 8; Sierah Ruffner, 4; Godoyo, 2.
Aces: Foster 4; Abby Dugan, 2; Godoyo, 2; Krueger, 2; Leiken, 1.
Assists: Gabby McNutt, 10; Jessica Sullens, 8; Haley Cothern, 1; Foster, 1; Godoyo, 1.
Block: Krueger, 1.
Record: 6-0

***
vs. South Central

In what was essentially a championship game in itself, Vandalia and South Central battled to the bitter end in the final game of pool play, with the Lady Vandals pulling out a thrilling 26-28, 25-19, 17-15 victory.

Krueger and Leiken dominated the Lady Vandals’ offense, totaling 27 kills between them during the match, including 10 in the third set.

“That was probably really the championship game,” Smith said. “South Central always has a good, scrappy club, but we came up with what we needed to come up with when we needed it.”

In the deciding set, neither team led by more than three points, with South Central holding a 10-7 edge at one point.

With the set tied at 15, Leiken killed off an attack and then blocked a South Central attack to secure Vandalia’s victory. Earlier in the set, she had three straight kills to give Vandalia a 7-6 lead.

It was Krueger who was dominant in the second set, securing nine of her team-high 14 kills in a set that didn’t see Vandalia trail after a tie at 7-7.

“It’s my senior year, and I want to go out with a bang,” said Krueger, who after the tournament led the team in kills. “I want to make sure that I’m the one who brings the team back up, with a good hit or a good serve.”

Following the 7-7 tie, Godoyo served Vandalia to a 14-7 lead by forcing the Lady Cougars into a lot of errors. She had no aces during that stretch, and Vandalia had just two kills.

The first set came down to the wire, with each team nearly securing the victory before South Central killed the final point.

Saturday, Sept. 1
at Altamont
South Central 28, Vandalia 26
Vandalia 25, South Central 19
Vandalia 17, South Central 15
Kills: Krueger, 14; Leiken, 13; Ruffner, 3; Godoyo, 2.
Aces: Krueger, 2; Godoyo, 1; Leiken, 1.
Assists: McNutt, 14; Sullens, 13; Foster, 2; Krueger, 1; Ruffner, 1.
Record: 5-0

***

Vandalia wasn’t challenged too much in the first two games of pool play, making quick work of Beecher City before knocking off Lincolnwood.

Against the Lady Eagles, Vandalia had 14 service aces, including a game-high six from Foster. Leiken led in kills, with four.

Against the Lady Lancers, Foster led the team with five kills, and Vandalia added another nine service aces, with Leiken’s three leading the way.

Saturday, Sept. 1
at Altamont
Vandalia 25, Beecher City 10
Vandalia 25, Beecher City 8
Kills: Leiken, 4; Krueger, 2; Ruffner, 2; Foster, 1; Kadi Metzger, 1.
Aces: Foster, 6; Krueger, 4; Ally Sasse, 3; Metzger, 1; Ruffner, 1.
Assists: McNutt, 7; Sullens, 3; Foster, 1.
Record: 3-0

Saturday, Sept. 1
at Altamont
Vandalia 25, Lincolnwood 16
Vandalia 25, Lincolnwood 17
Kills: Foster, 5; Ruffner, 4; Krueger, 3; Leiken, 3; Godoyo, 1; McNutt, 1.
Aces: Leiken, 3; Foster, 2; Krueger, 2; Godoyo, 1; Ruffner, 1.
Assists: McNutt, 7; Sullens, 7; Leiken, 1; Ruffner, 1.
Record: 4-0

Vandalia’s players celebrate after earning the winning point.