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BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Volleyball
Caston def. Winamac 25-23, 25-15, 25-23 (Thursday): Maddi Smith had 14 points and seven kills to lead the host Lady Comets over Winamac Thursday. Rebekah Milburn added 11 points, and Layne Oliver had nine.
Addison Zimpleman, who did not play libero, had four kills. Abby Williamson had seven blocks.
“I was proud of the way we came out and played tonight,” Caston coach Melinda Shultz said. “We knew that we couldn't give away free balls and we had to serve aggressively to keep them out of system. We were moving much better, covering each other, and reading the other side of the court so we could adjust accordingly.”
Maggie Smith had seven kills and 15 digs for Winamac. Ella Gearhart and Alyssa Villanueva had 10 digs each.
“While we were excited to have everyone back on the court for the first time since Aug. 15, our chemistry was definitely lacking last night at Caston,” Winamac coach Heather Kasten said in a statement. “The frustration level was very high with serve receive and we struggled to celebrate the things we were doing well. It's one of the first games this season where we really got in our heads and couldn't get out. Caston did a nice job of being scrappy and keeping the ball alive and we let ourselves feel defeated by that. Serving was a struggle last night, too with six missed serves in the match, our most this season.”
While volleyball historical records are spotty, it is believed that this is Caston’s first win over Winamac in at least 15 years.
CASTON STATS
Bailey Harness - 1 kill; Maddi Smith - 7 kills, 3 aces, 5 blocks, 1 dig, 20 serves received; Abby Williamson - 4 kills, 1 ace, 7 blocks, 1 dig; Addison Zimpleman - 3 kills, 2 aces, 1 block, 14 serves received; Isabel Scales - 3 kills, 1 ace, 3 blocks, 2 digs, 2 serves received; Layne Oliver - 1 kill, 1 ace, 2 digs; Rebekah Milburn - 6 aces, 8 assists; Delaney Lowry - 1 dig, 11 assists; Kinzie Mollenkopf - 11 serves received
WINAMAC STATS
Maggie Smith - 7 kills, 1 ace, 1 block, 15 digs, 3 serves received; Alyssa Villanueva - 3 kills, 11 digs, 3 serves received; McKenzie Hinz - 5 kills, 2 blocks, 2 digs, 1 assist, 6 serves received; Ella Gearhart - 1 kill, 2 aces, 10 digs, 8 serves received; Sydney Thompson - 1 ace; Kaya Campbell - 6 digs, 11 serves received; Aubrey Gearhart - 7 digs, 13 assists
