Springs Valley Community High School

For the first time in four years, the Springs Valley volleyball team trailed in a sectional match. On Saturday, the Blackhawks hosted Vincennes Rivet in the championship match of IHSAA Sectional 63 and lost the first set, putting them down 1-0 for their first sectional deficit since their 2018 loss to Tecumseh. It was also their first loss in a sectional set since 2019 against Northeast Dubois. Since then they’d swept seven sectional matches in a row and this loss — one in which they started slow and made uncharacteristic mistakes before storming back to make it tight — didn’t sit well with them. They made that clear with the way they played afterwards. Springs Valley came out of the break hot and took the next three sets in a row to beat the Patriots 24-26, 25-13, 25-18, 25-19. “I think at first we came out and underestimated them and what a good team they are, but once we saw the way they could play we kicked it into gear,” Springs Valley senior Brynne Buchanan said. “We changed some things up with our defense and I think we shut them down after that.” With their hitting atypically inefficient against Vincennes Rivet, the Blackhawks had to rely on their serving and passing to get them across the finish line. They were excellent in service, committing just four errors on a whopping 98 attempts, and they had 12 aces as well. As a team, they scored on 56.1 percent of their serves. Tynley Kluesner was Springs Valley’s biggest contributor in this department. The ever-steady senior didn’t commit a single error on a season-high 30 attempts and racked up seven of the team’s aces by herself. The Blackhawks scored 23 points with Kluesner at the line, nearly enough to take an entire set. On the flip side, the ‘Hawks were superb in receiving serves from Vincennes Rivet. Time after time the back row used its first touch to give Springs Valley multiple attacking options. In all, 41 of the Blackhawks’ 69 passes allowed them to run three hitters effectively which was big given the struggles they faced in attack. Those facets of the game have long been staples of Springs Valley’s program, but they’ll become particularly important as the postseason progresses. “That’s what it’s going to come down to. The farther we go, the more on-point that’s going to have to be,” Springs Valley coach Erin Carnes said. “We didn’t hit the best, but we were still keeping them out of system and I thought we were controlling the ball more times than they were. When we had to, we were getting those attempts. I thought our ball control was on-point.” The win gave Springs Valley its fourth sectional championship in a row, an incredible feat given that despite all of the program’s history its longest streak had been three titles. It also made this year’s seniors — Buchanan, Kluesner, Alayna Denbo, and Kenzie Harrell — the first class in program history to win a sectional championship in every year of their careers. “They’re the most kind-hearted, hard-working girls. They work for everything that they have and they don’t settle for anything less,” Carnes said. “Going into their freshman year that was a big goal for them, they wanted to start winning sectionals, and then it became a pattern and they wanted to continue it. “They do those little things that it takes and they’re reaping the rewards right now.” On top of that, Springs Valley’s seniors also secured their fourth sectional trophy in their final match at The Hawk’s Nest, a fitting end for a group that posted a 53-8 record at home. As they closed out their careers at The Nest, they were grateful for all the support they’ve received while playing there. “It’s the best feeling to look out there and see all our fans, our community behind us and supporting us,” Buchanan said. “It’s just such a surreal feeling.” Now Springs Valley (29-4, 6-0 PLAC) will head to Loogootee this weekend with a chance to do something it hasn’t done since 1999, win a regional championship. If they do, it will be another step toward their ultimate goal of reaching the State Finals. “It’s always nice to win a sectional, it never gets old, but the job’s not finished and it won’t be finished until you see us in Muncie,” Buchanan said. “We’re working towards that every day.” SPRINGS VALLEY 3, VINCENNES RIVET 1 Vincennes Rivet 26 13 18 19 — 1 Springs Valley 24 25 25 25 — 3 Springs Valley: Leigh Carnes 15 kills, 17 assists, 16 digs, 2 blocks; Tynley Kluesner 10 kills, 1 assist, 10 digs, 2 blocks, 7 aces; Bella Nottger 8 kills, 6 blocks; Maddie Carnes 7 kills, 29 assists, 7 digs, 1 ace; Brynne Buchanan 6 kills, 15 digs, 1 block, 3 aces; Alayna Denbo 6 kills, 1 block; Molly Tucker 1 assist, 18 digs, 1 ace.