White Pigeon moved on to the Class C district finals after defeating Lawton Wednesday, 25-18, 25-22, 25-17. The Chiefs will take on Schoolcraft Thursday at 7 p.m. at Centreville.
“I thought our ball control was so much better tonight,” White Pigeon coach Tony Hooley said. “It definitely lowered the stress on our setter and hitters. Our attackers weren’t as efficient as I would have liked, but our passing, scrappy defense and serving kept us in a great position most of the match. Except for the first half of the second set, I thought our execution was consistent.”
Against the Blue Devils, White Pigeon had 37 kills, led by Bethany Hagner’s 16. She added 12 digs in the win. Rachel Brock finished with 14 digs and three aces, Danielle Chantrenne registered 12 digs and six kills, Riley Phelps totaled 11 digs, Skyler DeMeyer recorded 28 assists, four aces and 14 digs and Sydney Harmon had four blocks.
“This was a total team win if there ever was one,” Hooley added. “Everyone on the team contributed and made big plays when needed. If I had to single any player out I would say that our captains stepped up early and calmed everyone’s nerves. [Brock] put the ball on target all night while Bethany [Hagner] manufactured points in a variety of ways: hitting, tipping and pushing. Danielle is playing herself through a stress fracture [rib] injury and had an all-around nice game.”
Visit the Scoreboard page for complete team statistics.
Schoolcraft beat Decatur 25-22, 25-18, 25-10 for its 34th victory of the season.
“It will be a short celebration,” Hooley said. “We will need to be sharp and aggressive to compete against a good, athletic Schoolcraft team. Tonight was a step in the right direction.”