Mount Pulaski handles Springfield Lutheran on the court

Off the court the two teams gather to let Landon Watkins know they are thinking of him

[September 28, 2016]  Members of the Mount Pulaski and Springfield Lutheran volleyball teams gathered after the match Tuesday night to make a video for Landon Watkins. Watkins had surgery on a brain tumor last Thursday in Chicago and is still recovering in the hospital. Both teams said in unison “We are thinking of you, we love you, Team Landon!” Angela Ford sent the recorded message to Landon’s mom, Abby Winebrinner, and immediately the message reading “HUGE SMILE” came back.

Members of the Mount Pulaski and Springfield Lutheran volleyball teams gathered after the match Tuesday night to make a video for Landon Watkins

On the court, following the match, it was the Mount Pulaski Hilltoppers sporting huge smiles as they put forth a tremendous team effort to defeat the Crusaders 29-27 and 25-22.

After the match, Mount Pulaski Head Coach Donna Dulle was quite happy with her team and the energy the crowd brought in, too. "The game was exciting,” she said of the contest between two teams who share a lot of history, dating back years ago to the state tournament.

"Our middles, our middles,” she emphasized their important roles in the victory, “Our middles blocked the ball again and again. They’re coming along and they cut a couple swings for us, too.”

She, of course, is talking about Morgan May and Paige Stewart, a sophomore and a freshman, respectively, who have stepped up and into the roles at the varsity level magnificently. "So they can just keep developing and make us a well-rounded team,” said Dulle.

"And Alex Clemons…if she can just get herself some more confidence, she’s gonna be a big help for us. She got a couple kills for us and she had a great swing that hit the antenna here or that ball was going down the line,” noted Dulle.

The veteran coach continued, "It seems like they are gelling together better, I thought. We had that big lead in the first set, and then we kinda laid back. You can’t do that. Not in volleyball." Dulle is referring to the 8-1 and 13-5 leads the Hilltoppers let slip away in that first set.

However, Dulle was pleased with yet again another great all-around effort by senior Alexandra Beckers, who had 10 kills, 12 assists, 5 digs and 1 block. "Alexandra and Alex have made a big difference in our offense, I think. We've got options now and that makes a big difference. It used to be we never would set right side or use right side. Now we make an effort to use ride side and Alex is coming along. We’re all coming around so we’re all good with that.”

Another player who has noticeably stepped into a key role is up and coming freshman setter Isabella Wade. Wade has been dynamite as of late in the position and Dulle is more than pleased. "You know what? She’s working hard in practice and that relays over to how you work in games. Her work ethic carries her a long way.” Not to mention her quickness and her ability to know what’s going on all over the court without giving away any secrets to the opponent. She’s going to be another freshman to keep an eye on. She’s only going to keep getting better.

Set one for Mount Pulaski started out great as the Hilltoppers jumped to an 8-1 lead and then number 10 for Mount Pulaski (Beckers) made the score 10-3 with her kill. The Hilltoppers lead was 12-3 before Kaitlyn Wiegand slammed one down on the home team for the Crusaders.

Mount Pulaski led 13-5 before the lead started to slip away.

The Crusaders made a comeback and ran off four consecutive points and finally a sneaky tip by Beckers put a stop to that. The score was 15-11 in favor of Mount Pulaski after a long volley ended with the ball going out of bounds after it went through the hands of May, who gave it a good effort from the back row, only to watch it roll through her fingertips as she tried to defend herself from the spiked ball that flew directly at her face. A for effort.

The Hilltoppers then committed a series of errors that saw their lead shrink to 16-14 and then following a hit out by Abigail Fitzpatrick, the lead was by a hair, 18-17 Mount Pulaski.

Wiegand came up big again with a kill and tied the game at 18-18.

Springfield Lutheran came up big on the next play with a block on Beckers to take the lead, 19-18. But then it was Fitzpatrick with a “Are you picking up what I’m putting down?” kinda hit that led to the obvious answer of “I didn’t think so.”

A tie game again, 19-19.

The Crusaders jumped out to a 21-19 lead after Katie Elmore’s kill and then earned another point when their defenders blocked Fitzpatrick. Clemons then took a swing for the Hilltoppers on their next possession that allowed the ball to just go over the net and surprisingly the Crusaders could not get to it.

A couple little Mount Pulaski errors made the 24-21 in favor of Springfield Lutheran, but there isn’t much “give up” in Mount Pulaski’s arsenal.

After the Crusaders committed an error, Stewart and Clemons came up huge on the block and all of a sudden down 23-24, the Hilltoppers weren’t feeling all that defeated.

After the Crusaders hit the ball into the net, Mount Pulaski was looking at a brand new ballgame, 24-24.

The Crusaders are tough, though, very tough and they managed to send one over to the Mount Pulaski back row that even a diving combination of May/Fitzpatrick could not come up with. Lead back to the Crusaders.

Mount Pulaski caught a break on the next play when the Crusaders pounded it right towards the back line and just out of reach of a diving libero, Kenzie Lock. She never touched the ball as she luckily just missed it and the Hilltoppers were crawling back into this one, down 21-22 now.

Skylar Hayes was not about to let this one get away and she very matter-of-factly slammed one down on the opponent that drew a lot of cheers and even whistling from the crowd.

The score was tied again 25-25 this time.

Looks like extras coming our way. Or maybe just a little free volleyball. Elmore decidedly took the lead on the next play with her kill but her senior opponent on the other side of the net, Beckers, decided to take the point right back.

26-26 now the tie.

After Mount Pulaski’s block attempt failed the lead was back in favor of Springfield Lutheran. But this time Beckers hit one so hard she seemed to say, “Take that!” with vengeance and then she cracked a smile.

Nonetheless the score is knotted at 27-27.

A hit that went way long on the part of the Crusaders allowed Mount Pulaski to take a 28-27 lead. A timeout was called by the Crusaders but with the Mount Pulaski crowd fired up, it looked like the home court advantage might play a role here. Whatever the case, Mount Pulaski quickly got a perfect set from Wade to Fitzpatrick and the sophomore was more than ready to finish things off. Fitzpatrick sailed in the air and in a split second the game was over. Mount Pulaski took set one 29-27 in exhilarating fashion.

Beckers had six kills in that first set, with Hayes and Fitzpatrick tied at three apiece in the first one.

Set two was controlled by Mount Pulaski at the start as they led 4-1 early but the Crusaders had a lot of fight left and charged back to tie the game 4-4.

Stewart had a couple nice moves at the net on the blocks and allowed Mount Pulaski to stretch things out a bit, 6-4 the lead. Fellow freshman Wade would also toss a perfect set in the air to Hayes and she would execute the kill perfectly to put Mount Pulaski up 7-5.

The two teams would trade points back and forth equally for the most part these next few plays, but this is worth noting. Beckers placed a perfect short set in the middle to May and she threw it down nicely to put a little distance between Mount Pulaski and Springfield Lutheran, 12-9 a home team lead. Mount Pulaski managed to keep a two-point lead 15-13 and then 16-14 as Stewart’s short tip found the hole.

The Crusaders continued to battle back, and even took a 17-16 lead but then Stewart came up with a crowd-thrilling kill that may or may not have made Grandma Delmar jump up from his front row seat. Nonetheless one could hear the cheers loud and clear coming from the Stewart clan and the rest of the gym.

Two aces in a row by Hayes put the Hilltoppers in late command 19-17. But then Mount Pulaski could not handle Rachel Ramey’s serves and it was a brand new ballgame, 19-19.

The Crusaders even managed a couple small leads here and there before Beckers tied the score back up at 21-21. Her left arm swinging through the air is a pretty sight. To add to the excitement both teams decided to volley forever on the next two possessions and really neither gained anything out of the efforts, it was a tie score again 22-22.

When the Crusaders did bump the ball way long on the next possession, Mount Pulaski earned a point and the 23-22 lead.

Both teams were playing hard all night long, that is worth mentioning, but Mount Pulaski just hung a little bit tougher and on the next play Fitzpatrick ran all the way back to the end of the line to chase down a ball that really seemed like it was going to drop, and she fired towards Beckers in the front row. Beckers had just enough of a reflex to get a hand up and toss it right over the net. Springfield could not return that surprise and the point goes to Mount Pulaski.

That little moment of hustle by Fitzpatrick and somewhat luck by Beckers led to the biggest rise out of the Mount Pulaski fans of the night, so far. With game point on the line and Mount Pulaski up 24-22 Hayes slammed the door shut on the Crusaders with the final kill of the set. Mount Pulaski won 25-22 and the crowd roared.

Mount Pulaski’s record is now 6 wins and 7 losses.
The Hilltoppers travel to Illini Bluffs Thursday night and then make their annual trek to the Belleville Tournament this weekend. The Hilltoppers next home game will be October 4th and that is the Volley for the Cure game versus Delavan.

Mount Pulaski stats

Kenzie Lock 8 digs
Abigail Fitzpatrick 7 kills 6 digs 1 ace
Alex Clemons 2 kills 1 block
Alexandra Beckers 10 kills 12 assists 5 digs 1 block
Morgan May 2 kills 10 digs
Paige Stewart 4 kills 4 blocks
Skylar Hayes 6 kills 2 digs 2 aces 1 block
Isabella Wade 15 assists 6 digs

Springfield Lutheran stats

Katie Elmore 6 kills
Kaitlyn Wiegand 5 kills
Chloe Ginder 1 kill
Cara Anderson 1 kill=

[Teena Lowery]