LOWELL | Morton and Lake Central both went to their respective strengths in their Class 4A Lowell Sectional wins Thursday night.
Communication was the key for the Governors in their 25-20, 25-21, 25-19 sweep of E.C. Central in the opener.
In the first game, Morton led 14-6 when the Cardinals (9-19) staged a rally. A pair of 5-0 runs by E.C. tied the game at 16-16. But a pair of kills by Amanda Colvin and a block by Antoinique Johnson led the Governors.
“Both Amanda and Antoinique played very well tonight,” Morton coach Anna Boyles said. “Both of our outside hitters were on their game tonight.”
The second game was a see-saw battle with eight ties and five lead changes. Finally, down by one, Morton (13-15) reeled off six straight points and took the game.
The strong play of Colvin and Johnson gave the Governors the sweep.
“We communicated tonight,” Johnson said afterwards. “We are a team that has to keep talking to each other in order to play our best.”
Boyles said the aggressiveness the Governors showed would help on Saturday, when they face Lake Central.
“We have to play aggressive, especially at the net,” Boyles said. “Our hitters need to stay on the net and pound the ball. When we do that, good things usually happen.”
The Indians advanced by virtue of their 25-13, 25-17, 25-16 win over Highland.
Speed was the name of the game for Lake Central. Led by seniors Lauren DiNino and Julianne Epperson, the Indians erupted on a 10-0 run en route to win the first game.
The Trojans (6-21) kept it close in the second game, thanks to the stellar play of Courtney Raab, who made dig after dig to keep volleys in play. But the Indians came out on top.
A 12-0 run in the third game sealed the deal for Lake Central (25-9).
“The girls played relentless tonight,” Lake Central coach Tina Tinberg said. “We wanted to come out and keep the momentum going from the regular season. I like the way we are playing and our confidence level.”
In Saturday’s finals, Munster will square off against Lowell at 10 a.m. That game will be followed by the match between Morton and Lake Central at 11:30. The championship will be played at 4 p.m.
Please Wait…