Lady Vandals ‘proudly’ wear pink in Voilley for the Cure win

On the verge of losing their first Volley for the Cure game last Thursday, coach Allison Smith gave the Lady Vandals a moving message during a timeout toward the end of the second set.

With Vandalia trailing 19-18, Smith reminded her club of what was at stake – and it wasn't centered on volleyball.

“When I called the last timeout in the second game, I said, ‘We are 3-0 in Volley for the Cure history, and we’re not going 3-1,’” Smith said. “I told them, ‘Think about what these patients and kids go through every day. You are playing a ball game. If you fall and get hurt? You’re OK. They’re not.’”

The Lady Vandals responded to her words, posting kills on six of the final eight points of the set to win it, 25-20, and then carried that momentum into the third set, during which the team took an 9-1 advantage before closing it out 25-18 for its fourth straight Volley for the Cure victory.

Juniors RaeChelle Leiken (15) and Austyn Krueger (13) had season-highs in kills, and junior Sierah Ruffner added nine more. Senior Haley Wollerman had a season-best 30 assists.

And while that outburst of statistical excellence was nice to see, the portions of the night that stuck out the most had nothing to do with volleyball.

A handful of cancer survivors were honored by Lady Vandal players prior to the varsity contest, and Vandalia fifth-grade teacher Jennifer Knebel, also a survivor, gave a motivational speech.

“This night, overall, went great,” Smith said. “I thought our kids came out and wore their pink proudly, as far as decorating the gym and making sure the survivors felt welcome.

“Not just one of us is affected,” she said. “Almost everybody has someone down the line that fits the reason why we are here. To represent one of our own teachers in the district is special.”

After the game, two game balls signed by Vandalia players were auctioned off for a total of $600. A total donation from the night is not yet available, but everyone involved is hopeful it will be a very high number.

With all the pregame excitement, the Lady Vandals had a little trouble getting into a groove, holding no more than a two-point lead during the first set.

Vandalia tied Greenville at 19, but a string of errors allowed the Lady Comets to go ahead, 23-19, and they eventually won the set, 25-21, on a tip kill.

“We were so wrapped up in the moment, that we weren’t focused on what we had to accomplish,” Smith said.

The Lady Vandals trailed throughout most of the second set as well, falling behind early and not tying the match until each team had 11 points.

Vandalia took a brief, 12-11, lead after an ace by freshman Ali Sasse, but Greenville continued piling up points and went ahead, 19-15.

When junior Shelby Foster got the serve at 19-17, however, something changed.

Krueger killed off the next point and Foster followed with an ace. Smith then called the previously-mentioned timeout, and watched Krueger spike down the next two points.

Kills by Krueger, Leiken, Wollerman and Leiken again closed out the final four points of the 25-20 set win.

Vandalia parlayed that momentum into a 9-1 lead at the beginning of the third set. Greenville threatened a couple of times, but the Lady Comets never got closer than 12-9 before falling in the deciding set, 25-18.

Twelve of Vandalia’s points came via the kill in that set, and with the hitters performing well, Smith said the season-outlook is promising.

“We need to have all those kids playing well,” she said, “especially when regionals come around.”

Stats
Kills: Leiken, 15; Krueger, 13; Ruffner, 9; Godoyo, 3; Wollerman, 3; Kate Shields, 1.
Aces: Foster, 3; Godoyo, 2; Leiken, 2; Abby Dugan, 1; Sasse, 1.
Assists: Wollerman, 30; Foster, 4; Ruffner, 2; Krueger, 1; Leiken, 1.
Blocks: Leiken, 3; Foster, 1; Wollerman, 1.