LaPorte dominates Crown Point in DAC volleyball

LAPORTE | Times No. 1 LaPorte set the tone early, and the Slicers simply cruised along on their home court.

LaPorte scored early and often Tuesday night, taking a three-game Duneland Athletic Conference win over No. 4 Crown Point 25-14, 25-14, 25-11.

“We talked about coming in the second half of the DAC and playing much stronger,” LaPorte coach Erin Parker said. “I thought tonight, we did that. I think the score was more indicative of the girls coming out and really wanting it.”

While the first two games were impressive for the Slicers, the third game was the highlight of the match for LaPorte. The Slicers (17-2, 8-0 DAC) went up 11-0 to start the final game, quite possibly as a result of a pep talk Parker gave her players between games.

“We talked about it in the huddle,” Parker said. “They were winning, but it wasn’t exciting to me. We talked about ‘Can you go make the crowd excited?’ They came out and really answered that, and I’m so proud.”

While Taylor Lebo led the Slicers with 13 kills, attacking was spread around well. Amanda Brinkman (seven kills), Sydnee Cooper (four kills) and Sierra Conklin (four kills) contributed in an important way where the Bulldogs couldn’t just key solely on Lebo.

“That’s the thing I’m really proud about this team,” Parker said. “It’s not about one star. They want everybody else to succeed, no matter if they’re on the bench or on the court. I think that’s why we have such a good record right now.”

The Slicers began to pull away midway through the first game, taking a 14-8 lead to force the Bulldogs into a timeout. The Slicers would build their lead to double digits to negate any hopes of a comeback.

LaPorte continued to attack the Bulldogs (8-5, 4-6) aggressively during the second game, and the Bulldogs were unable to recover against the Slicers’ potent offense.

“We need to execute faster,” C.P. coach Alison Duncan said. “We’re working through a lot of things with a young team. This is all part of the process; to learn to be disciplined, learn to execute and get it done.”