Lady Elks Spike Lady Panthers in Must Win Game

By Will Johnson

Messenger Reporter

ELKHART – The Lady Elks were in need of a victory on Tuesday to keep their volleyball playoff hopes alive as they welcomed the Westwood Lady Panthers to Elkhart.

Westwood had defeated Elkhart earlier in the season by a 3-1 margin but on Tuesday, the Lady Elks were able to turn the tables on Westwood as they took down their Anderson County rivals by a score of 25-21, 25-21, 22-25 and 25-15.

The Lady Elks took the game to the Lady Panthers in both the first and second sets. While both sets were close, every time Westwood would draw close, Elkhart would pull away.

In the third set, however, the Lady Panthers managed to turn the tables. While the set was fairly even throughout, Westwood never trailed and wound up winning the set by a score of 25-22.

The fourth set was a different story.  The Lady Elks raced out to a 7-1 lead and never looked back as they took the set and the match with a 25-15 score in the final frame.

Following the match, Elkhart Head Coach Alicia Woddell commented, “Our hitters were smarter on where they hit to on the floor. We’ve also worked a lot on our defense the last few weeks. We had a few serving mistakes, but that will happen. Fortunately, everything else was working for us.”

The win moves Elkhart into a tie with Westwood for third place in District 18-3A. Both teams have a district mark of 5-5 and hold a one game lead over the Malakoff Lady Tigers. The Lady Panthers have beaten Malakoff twice this season while the Lady Elks will close out district at home against Malakoff on Tuesday, Oct. 25.

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].