Hilltoppers claim Tomahawk Conference championship on Senior Night

[October 19, 2016]  The Mount Pulaski Hilltoppers earned the Tomahawk Conference championship by defeating the Cougars in three sets, 25-19, 24-26 and 25-17.

Senior Alexandra Beckers had another solid performance in the win with 23 assists, 7 kills, 2 blocks and 1 ace.

Fellow seniors Kenzie Lock and Alex Clemons also contributed in the win. Lock had 3 digs and 1 ace and Clemons had 5 digs, 4 kills and 1 block.

Sophomore Skylar Hayes led all players with 15 kills.

Mount Pulaski senior volleyball players Alexandra Beckers, Kenzie Lock and Alex Clemons pose shortly before taking the court Tuesday night.

The Cougars jumped out to an early 7-4 lead in set one before the Hilltoppers managed to catch up and eventually take an 14-13 lead on a kill by Hayes.

The Hilltoppers extended that lead to 18-14 on a kill by freshman Paige Stewart.

The Hilltoppers got back to back kills by Hayes and Beckers to run the lead to 21-15. Beckers and Stewart teamed up for a monster block on the next play and the Hilltoppers looked to be cruising in set one.

Set one ended with Morgan May and Abigail Fitzpatrick teaming up for a block to seal the 25-19 victory.

Illini Central made set two a closer affair. The Cougars even took an 8-6 lead on a kill by Carlee Bale. The Cougars would go on to lead 12-10 after a huge kill by Jade Fangmeier.

Illini Central maintained a marginal lead throughout set two until the Hilltoppers mounted a late comeback. With the score 23-19 in favor of the Cougars, Mount Pulaski got consecutive kills from Fitzpatrick to pull the Hilltoppers to within two points, 23-21. Fitzpatrick single-handedly kept the Hilltoppers eyeing victory with a nice soft tip to catch the Cougars’ defense off-guard followed by a service ace, 24-23 the score, in favor of Illini Central.

The ballgame would be knotted at 24-24 after a Cougars hit caught the net. With Fitzpatrick serving, the Hilltoppers had a fresh start in this one. However, Hayes would hit one into the net and then with Morgan Sarff serving directly to Fitzpatrick in the back row, the sophomore simply could not return the bullet serve. Set two goes to Illini Central 26-24.

The Hilltoppers came out on fire in set three and ran off a six unanswered points. A kill by May gave the Hilltoppers a 7-3 lead. The Hilltoppers had no time to rest on their heels, though. Illini Central fought back to tie the score at 9-9.

The Hilltoppers regrouped and came out of a timeout a bit more focused on running plays and eventually regained a commanding lead, 17-10, following a kill by Clemons.

The lead grew to 20-10 after a kill by Fitzpatrick.

Dakota Schmeiderer (13) was a handful for the Hilltoppers Tuesday night.  The Illini Central senior had 9 blocks and 8 kills as the Cougars put up a good battle with the Tomahawk Conference championship on the line.

The Hilltoppers ended up cruising to a 25-17 set three victory to give the seniors a win on their way out.

The Hilltoppers current record sits at 9 wins and 19 losses. Mount Pulaski will go for win number 10 on Thursday night at Jacksonville.

This weekend the Hilltoppers will host the Topper Tourney.

Regionals start next week with the Hilltoppers traveling to Nokomis Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. match.

Mount Pulaski stats

Kenzie Lock 3 digs 1 ace
Alexandra Beckers 23 assists 7 kills 2 blocks 1 ace
Alex Clemons 4 kills 5 digs 1 block
Abigail Fitzpatrick 9 kills 24 digs 3 aces 1 block
Morgan May 3 kills 2 blocks
Skylar Hayes 15 kills 1 ace 1 block
Isabella Wade 6 assists
Paige Stewart 2 kills 4 blocks

Illini Central stats

Dakota Schmeiderer 8 kills 11 digs 9 blocks 1 ace
Carlee Bale 5 kills 11 digs 7 blocks
Morgan Sarff 3 aces
Gabby Williams 1 kill 19 assists
Kyndel Arthalony 4 kills
Jade Fangmeier 6 kills 2 aces

[Teena Lowery]