Springs Valley Community High School

In the middle of the first set, the Springs Valley volleyball team was down. The Blackhawks trailed Mitchell 10-4 and the Bluejackets had all the momentum. Springs Valley coach Erin Carnes called a timeout. After that, her team settled in and got to work. The Blackhawks stormed back to tie the set 11-11, then took a lead, then took the set. They used that momentum to bury the Bluejackets in the second set, then complete the sweep in the third, winning 26-24, 25-13, 25-20. “There was a lot of energy coming in. We had our little girls here, [our high school girls] were playing for Treven, and there’s still a lot of emotion from the week,” Carnes said. “They were so hyped up for this game. We knew Mitchell was going to come out strong. I think we were maybe just a little overhyped for it.” The biggest blow Springs Valley struck in the match came at the end of the first set. The Blackhawks trailed 24-22, but they didn’t fold with their backs against the wall. They rattled off four points in a row to win the set and deliver a gut punch to the Bluejackets. It was the perfect example of the fight the Blackhawks have shown all season as well as a reminder that when they decide it’s time to go, they’re more than capable of making a huge run. “That’s outstanding, really, and I think it just shows them or anyone who’s watching that defense wins those big ball games. I thought our defense clamped up quite a bit,” Carnes said. “Our blocks were getting a little bit higher, which forced them to try to swing around and over. I thought we tightened it up quite a bit.” The Blackhawks were buoyed in the match by their defense. Their team dig total of 42 was one of their best of the season, and the fact that they did it at that volume with only three errors was impressive. Maddie Carnes led the way in that regard, recording a team-high 11 digs without a single error. The Blackhawks also passed the ball well as a team over the course of the match. They committed eight errors on 52 serve receptions and managed to consistently get the ball to spots from which they had a variety of offensive options. If they do that repeatedly, it allows their attack to flourish because of its unpredictability. “When we’re able to keep that ball in front of the 10-foot line and we have three hitters going, our middles are so good at cutting the ball and turning the ball, and when they were able to do that Mitchell’s defense just kind of sucked in and that’s when we could dish it to the pins,” Erin Carnes said. “Being able to run three hitters all the time is huge for us. It throws defenses off and they don’t really know where it’s going. Our setters do a great job masking that.” One of the standouts for Springs Valley in the match was Bella Nottger. The junior, who played for the Bluejackets as a freshman before transferring last year, was a force at the net not only leading the Blackhawks with four blocks, but also putting down some loud kills when she got the ball. She ended up with six on 17 attempts without a single error, even throwing down the final kill of the game to send her former team packing. “She was definitely ready for this game. Last year when she faced them with our JV team it was one she probably wants to forget about, so tonight was a bit of redemption for her,” Carnes said. “She did a lot of things well. She served well, she’s still learning the left-back defense but I thought she looked good over there. Blocking, I mean she pretty much shut down [Brooke] Reynolds from Mitchell and she just creates a lot of chaos at the net. “Offensively, when she gets a good set, that ball rarely comes back. She hits a very terminating ball. I was proud of her effort tonight.” Springs Valley (16-3, 4-0 PLAC) remained undefeated in the conference with the win and extended its winning streak to three matches. The Blackhawks will try to stretch it to four on Saturday when they host White River Valley, but they also have a big match against Class 1A No. 2 Tecumseh coming up on Monday. That will be the first of a string of tough competition including a trip to the Blue River Valley Class A Showdown and a visit from Loogootee. They’ll also be closing out their conference slate shortly with matches against Paoli and Perry Central on the horizon. As they try to seal their eighth conference championship in a row and 10th in Erin Carnes’ 13 seasons, they’ll take plenty of confidence and momentum away from Thursday night’s victory. “It’s another win. Obviously this game gets jazzed up for a number of reasons, even more so than some of our others, but both teams want to win,” Carnes said. “It’s always a great atmosphere, but for the girls to come in here on their home court, after an emotional week and get it done in three was quite something.” SPRINGS VALLEY 3, MITCHELL 0 Mitchell 24 13 20 — 0 Springs Valley 26 25 25 — 3 Springs Valley: Leigh Carnes 9 kills, 16 assists, 6 digs, 2 blocks, 2 aces; Maddie Carnes 9 kills, 14 assists, 11 digs, 2 blocks, 4 aces; Bella Nottger 6 kills, 1 digs, 4 blocks; Alayna Denbo 6 kills, 3 blocks; Tynley Kluesner 1 kill, 6 digs, 1 block, 3 aces; Brynne Buchanan 1 kill, 10 digs, 2 aces; Molly Tucker 8 digs, 2 aces.