By RYAN WALKER
The battle of the Wells County schools went to the Bluffton Tigers Monday night against Norwell in an all-out, five-set effort from both sides.
Emotions were high, as it was the Lady Tigers’ senior night, a big rivalry game, and even a pregame speech from the head football coach Brent Kunkel.
“It’s a huge win,” head coach Stacy Morrison said. “Number one, it’s senior night, so the girls’ emotions are pretty high. We had a guest speaker, coach Kunkel in pregame. From start to finish, it’s just a big night. They really wanted this win, and you just can’t replace the emotions on senior night.”
On the Knight’s side, it was a disappointment after falling short of a 2-1 deficit that ended the game 3-2.
According to head coach Kayla Hunter, the Knights have had trouble at the beginning games all season.
“We definitely didn’t think that we’d play at the beginning,” she admitted. “They were just talking a lot about taking care of the ball and caring about each point from the beginning because I think we just wait too late to fight, which is frustrating because it’s just been a whole season thing.”
The Knights (12-12) entered the game with the better overall record and playing a class up, but it didn’t stop the Tigers (7-17) from stealing the first set 25-17.
Hunter’s group then rebounded 25-19 thanks to a 6-2 run to end the second set. Bluffton kept the pressure on winning the third in a narrow 25-23 win.
That’s where things changed in set four.
The Lady Knights were able to take an early lead and never let go, forcing two timeouts and allowing for scoring streaks up to five that happened twice.
The energy in the home crowd and the team needed to be brought back to life, as it’s something Morrison’s team has emphasized all season; feeding off the energy and creating it themselves.
Right away, Norwell got off to a 4-1 lead that dwindled, and eventually, Bluffton took over 6-5. The lead change forced a timeout from the Knights coaching staff.
After the timeout, the Tigers pounced to a 9-6 lead, but a three-point spurt from Norwell tied it at nine.
After yet another three-point take, Bluffton never looked back and won the set 15-11.
Morrison was happy with the effort from her team and them feeding off that energy they’ve been getting all season from its student section and fans.
“They wanted this game, and yes, there was a ton of energy,” she said, “We let up a little bit by the fourth game, but to see them come back and not just quit was great. I loved that, especially heading into sectional time.”
Though the two are not in the same conference, the nine miles that separate the schools still gives an extra sting after a loss
“I think for them, it hurts a little bit more because they know some of these girls, and it makes it more of a pride and rivalry thing. But at this point, any five-set loss stinks because you were just so close,” Hunter said.
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