by Brian Bohne
HERITAGE HILLS VS FOREST PARK
The present versus the past.
That’s one way to describe the Heritage Hills volleyball team’s match against Forest Park.
The current Lady Pats were facing a Ranger squad coached by former Heritage Hills standout Tara [Graman] LaGrange.
So obviously, there was added motivation by both teams to earn the victory.
Heritage Hills accomplished the mission.
The Lady Pats took the host Rangers’ best shot before eventually securing a 22-25, 25-9, 25-23, 25-11 triumph last Monday night in Ferdinand.
Given the circumstances, Heritage Hills coach Kayla Tischendorf anticipated a tough match, despite the fact that Forest Park had a modest five wins on the season.
“We always come in here expecting a battle. We knew they were a scrappy team we couldn’t overlook,” confirmed the Lady Pats’ boss. “We knew their record didn’t match their play. Their serves are hard. Their hitters are good. We also knew they were an emotional team, so we were hoping if we could get momentum, we could hold it. It took a little while, but we eventually did.”
Actually, the match was somewhat of a microcosm of the Lady Pats’ season.
Heritage Hills looked great at times — particularly in games two and four — but had a tough time keeping a consistent rhythm at other moments.
“We make the comment that we are definitely a team. When we’re up, we’re all up and when we’re down, we’re all down,” explained Tischendorf. “If one person gets quiet, they all follow suit and vice versa. They’re trying to mesh and when they all mesh well, we’re pretty strong, but we can also struggle. It’s been like that a lot. It’s been an up and down season.”
The Lady Pats were a little down in game one.
After Heritage Hills grabbed a quick 5-0 lead, Forest Park answered with eight straight points. The contest was later tied at nine, before the Rangers eventually surged head 17-10 following a net violation and a couple of hitting errrors by the Lady Pats.
Down 24-18 after a Forest Park kill, Heritage Hills tried to mount a comeback but came up short in the opener.
They had more success, however, in game two.
Heritage Hills ripped off 18 straight points during one stretch to build a commanding 23-5 lead. The Lady Pats later evened the match at one game apiece following kills by Savannah Gogel and Paige Hart.
Gogel was a force to be reckoned with at the net most of the night as she consistently delivered powerful kills through, around or over the Ranger blockers.
All told, the Heritage Hills junior standout finished with 31 kills.
“Savannah has been doing very well on offense,” said Tischendorf. “Moving her from the middle to the outside, that angle and that arm swing is so different. The first few games, was a transition for her. You’re changing the trajectory and the speed, but now she’s getting comfortable. She’s looks it. She looks fluid. When she’s on, she can be dominant. The girls kind of feed off that excitement she provides.”
The Lady Pats also fed off the momentum they gained by winning a close game three.
After facing an early 13-7 deficit, Heritage Hills fought back to tied the contest at 18-18 and 20-20. Forest Park then pulled ahead 22-20 before the Lady Pats again battled back. Heritage Hills led 23-22, then later broke a 23-23 deadlock with a tip by Hart. Moments later, Mia Becher delivered a kill to seal the game three win.
Read more on this story in this week’s issue of the Spencer County Leader!
