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Back in business

Michigan City's (from left) Dee Evans, Sarah Puckett, Megan Daurer, Brooke Westphal, and Makayla Adams celebrate a point against La Porte during Thursday's match at the Wolves Den. Photo by Bob Wellinski
By Adam Parkhouse
Sports Editor
Published: Sunday, September 4, 2011 10:58 AM CDT
In a summer column previewing what to expect from Michigan City High School sports in 2011-12, I noted that Wolves volleyball would see an upturn this fall.

The 2010 campaign was a rough one for coach Kylee Caudle’s squad. Caudle was thrust into the job at a late date and things never really got going for the Wolves in a disappointing season for an inexperienced team.

Now, I’d actually like to revise my earlier, ambiguous prediction of City just being better than a year ago. In a topsy-turvy Duneland Conference, I firmly believe the Wolves are contenders.

Thursday night’s epic match with Class 4A No. 4 and previously unbeaten La Porte was impressive. Obviously, the Slicers are nowhere near 100 percent. Coach Marybeth Lebo’s team has been decimated by injury and the lofty ranking was bound to take a tumble because of that at some point.

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But make no mistake, La Porte is still plenty good. And for Thursday at least, City looked like the better team.

I’d seen the Wolves and Slicers play prior to Thursday and, if I’m just being honest, I walked into the gym expecting a 3-0 La Porte win.

But after the Wolves took Game 1, 25-22, I knew it was going five. The feeling inside the Wolves Den that night was tense. It was loud and it was fun. I’ve never been at a volleyball match in early September that even closely rivaled that atmosphere. It was incredible.

In fact, the young Wolves treated the match like their own personal coming-out party. Freshman Brooke Westphal proved why she’s considered the next big thing in local volleyball. Sophomore Makayla Adams continued to show why coaches are giddy when describing her ability. Junior Sarah Puckett showed how she’s grown into one of the DAC’s top hitters.

Throw in savvy senior setter Megan Daurer and a half-dozen or so key role players and suddenly the Wolves look like a team that’s going to make people nervous all season long.

That’s quite a coup for Caudle, who a year ago wasn’t even sure being a head volleyball coach was for her. The former Marquette and Indiana State superstar is a well-respected and well-liked teacher who was comfortable as an assistant coach under Troy Campbell at Marquette and Sarah Hendricks (McFarland) at City.

But then Hendricks’ counseling job was eliminated (don’t worry, she landed on her feet as the new coach of defending Class 4A state champion Penn) and City was left scrambling for a coach. I believe Caudle was reluctant at first to be the top dog in the Wolves program, but a year later she’s entrenched and it’s getting tough to imagine the team without her.

I can also tell you any hesitation that might have been present a year ago is long gone. Caudle is all-in with this thing and the aftermath of Thursday’s match proved that.

When I found Caudle in one of the offices within the Wolves Den, she was trembling and potentially on the verge of tears. Overwhelmed with joy, Caudle was like a proud mother following her kids’ epic victory.

Interviewing her wasn’t easy, either. It seemed like everyone in attendance wanted to come in and congratulate her. It felt like a big moment, and in a lot of ways it was.

Remember, Michigan City volleyball was the signature fall program at MCHS. Other teams may have won more sectionals, but in terms of fan interest/attendance combined with winning, it took a backseat to nothing. It remains the only program to win a team state championship since the consolidation and has contended for several more.

I can’t tell you that the Wolves are back to that level just yet, but there’s no question in my mind they’re headed in the right direction.

At the very least, City volleyball is back on the map.

Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.

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WOLVES VB ROLLS ON

City tops Chesterton in 5-set thriller
By Adam Parkhouse
Staff Writer
Published: Saturday, September 10, 2011 4:42 PM CDT
MICHIGAN CITY — Kylee Caudle’s up-and-coming Michigan City Wolves volleyball team continues to earn respect and praise from opposing coaches.

After coming up on the short end of a five-game thriller, Chesterton coach TR Harlan spoke highly of a youthful City squad.

“Give Michigan City a ton of credit,” Harlan said. “The turnaround Kylee made with that team, I’m really happy for her.”

Chesterton almost turned a good City start into disaster, but the Wolves hung on for an as-close-as-it-gets 25-22, 29-27, 25-27, 26-28, 15-13 victory.

*
“Whenever we’re playing Chesterton, it’s never over,” Caudle said. “They’re not gonna give up.”

The match wound up being played on the junior varsity half of the court, as opposed to the normal, varsity setup with one net in the middle of the floor. A leaky roof caused an on-court hazard and referees made the decision to set the court up elsewhere.

This one was crazy-close throughout. In Game 1, City took a 12-6 lead after a Brooke Westphal kill, but Chesterton battled back and trailed 22-21. But the Wolves got a tip kill from setter Megan Daurer and eventually a Chesterton service error gave City a 1-0 lead.

Game 2 saw the Trojans (4-4, 2-3 Duneland) break out to a 5-1 lead but City (10-4, 4-1) tied it 10-10. Chesterton later led 17-14 when City got on a roll led by junior Dee Evans.

Sarah Puckett had a kill to make it 17-15 Chesterton, then Evans unleashed four consecutive kills to make it 19-17 City. Two more consecutive points gave City a 21-17 lead. to prompt a Trojans timeout. The teams went back and forth after a Chesterton rally, but a Daurer tip-kill made it 28-27 City and a Chesterton hitting error gave City the 2-0 lead.

In Game 3, Chesterton again jumped out to a lead, this time 11-5. But three straight kills from Westphal and a fourth from Evans made it 11-10. But the Trojans hitters started to get on track down the stretch, and a kill from middle hitter Shelby Ruffner gave Chesterton the game.

“I thought I’d made myself clear that in our conference, even if you’re 24-2 in Game 3 and you won the first two games, the match is never over,” Caudle said.

Game 4 saw more close, back-and-forth play, but the Trojans managed to prevail to force a fifth and final game.

In Game 5s, the team that makes the first run tends to win, and City did just that. The Wolves raced out to a 6-2 lead, forcing Harlan to use a timeout. The Wolves then extended the lead to 14-9 based on solid play from junior hitter Sarah Puckett.

However, the Trojans battled back again to make it 14-13, but Puckett’s 28th and final kill ended the match after nearly 2 1/2 hours.

Harlan thought Puckett was the difference.

“The difference is they have a big gun,” Harlan said, noting his team is still devleoping its big guns. “Everybody in the building knows where the set is going.”

Caudle concurred.

“She had 28 kills and I finally told (Daurer), I don’t care if you’ve set her 29 times in a row,” Caudle said. “As a setter, I’m giving the ball to Sarah Puckett.”

Daurer ended up with 68 assists while sophomore Makayla Adams had 15 kills and 15 blocks. Evans had 11 kills and Westphal wound up with 10.



Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.

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Five in a row for City

By Adam Parkhouse
Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, September 14, 2011 10:13 AM CDT
MICHIGAN CITY — Michigan City’s volleyball team has been involved in enough close matches lately to feel pretty confident late in games.

Well, at least that’s true of the players.

“I’m more nervous now because I know what we can do,” City coach Kylee Caudle said. “I think during the national anthem before the game, I’m more nervous than those girls are.”

If the players are nervous, they’re not showing it. City won its fifth consecutive match Tuesday, edging Crown Point 25-22, 25-20, 25-23. City’s five-match winning streak is against Duneland Conference foes, and City sits at 5-1 in the DAC with just one match left (Thursday at Portage) during the first turn through the league.

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“In our conference, this is how it’s gonna be the whole season,” Caudle said.

Early in Game 1, Crown Point’s intensity was through the roof and City (9-4, 5-1 DAC) had a hard time matching it. Even City’s points were coming primarily on Crown Point’s mistakes. Problem for the Bulldogs was they were making a lot of mistakes and the Wolves eventually came around.

City rallied to take its first lead at 17-16 on a kill from freshman Brooke Westphal. The Wolves held on to the lead the rest of the way and a kill from sophomore Makayla Adams gave her team a 1-0 lead.

In Game 2, Crown Point again ran out to an early lead but it was short-lived. The Wolves went on a 9-0 run sparked by three kills from Sarah Puckett. Puckett finished with a team-best 11 kills for the match.

Crown Point did rally back to take the lead, but City took it right back and a block-kill from Adams finished off the game, giving the Wolves a 2-0 lead. Adams had seven blocks on the night.

In Game 3, Crown Point jumped out to its third straight 3-1 lead of the night. The Bulldogs threatened to send the match to a fourth game, but an Adams kill tied the score 23-23.

Two plays later, a thunderous spike from Westphal put an exclamation point on the match and a 3-0 win.

The Wolves also received another solid effort from junior libero Megan VanGemeren, who had 18 digs and continued to be a force in the back row.

“In the last few matches since La Porte, her confidence has really seen a new side,” Caudle said.

City’s junior varsity team won 25-20, 25-21.

Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.

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http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...3f991376846.txt

Up-and-down Wolves fall to Indians

By Adam Parkhouse
Staff Writer
Published: Monday, October 3, 2011 4:13 PM CDT
MICHIGAN CITY —In a microcosm of its entire 2011 season, Michigan City’s volleyball went through the highest of highs and lowest of lows Thursday against Lake Central at the Wolves Den.

The result was a disappointing 14-25, 25-17, 27-25, 25-19 loss for the Wolves.

“It was a complete mental and physical breakdown,” City coach Kylee Caudle said. “In our season, every ball and every point is gonna matter.”

City (13-13, 6-5 Duneland) rolled in Game 1, looking like the dominant team that rattled off five straight wins earlier this season against quality opponents.

*
The passing was crisp, the attacks were consistent and the Indians were never close.

Then, almost like the flip of a switch, Game 2 went the other way. Caudle thinks some of that is on her team, and some is on the other.

“(The Indians) are a good team,” she said. “I think they came in sitting back and then realized, ‘Hey, we have to do something about this.’”

That’s just what the Indians did, rolling to victory in the next three games to avenge City’s win in St. John earlier this season.

City led 3-1 in Game 2 but lost the lead soon afterward and never got it back, despite a flourish from junior Sarah Puckett to draw the Wolves to within a few points at 18-15.

In Game 3, the score stayed tight but Lake Central pulled away to take a 24-20 advantage before City rattled off four straight. But the Indians held on to take the pivotal game.

Game 4 was more like Game 2, in which City held an early lead but relinquished it and never came back.

“That was just us being our own worst enemy,” Caudle said. “That’s the downfall of us.”

Puckett led the way for City with 20 kills while Megan Daurer had 39 assists. Libero Megan Van Gemeren had 26 digs.

Caudle seemed frustrated as City struggled at times with teamwork.

“It was a lack of communication,” she said. “And when communication breaks down, trust is lost.”

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Slipping away

Chesterton's Ariane Mahaffey attacks Michigan City's Brooke Westphal (2) and Dee Evans (4) attempt to block during Tuesday's match in Chesterton. Photo by Bob Wellinski
Pivotal stretch in Game 2 hurts Wolves, allows Trojans to win in four
By Drew White
Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, October 5, 2011 9:57 AM CDT
CHESTERTON — With the first game on Tuesday’s match under their belts, the Michigan City volleyball team had two serves to close out Game 2 against Chesterton.

The Wolves were unable to cash in either time, allowing the host Trojans to win the first of three-straight games en route to avenging last month’s five-game loss to City with a 21-25, 27-25, 25-22, 25-19 win at Chesterton High School.

“We need to get the finisher points,” Michigan City head coach Kylee Caudle said. “A point at 12-9 is a great point to keep you going, but we need those kinds of points at the ending.”

Chesterton (17-8 overall, 7-5 Duneland Conference) was never able to build a comfortable lead but was able to pull away for the win in each of the final three games.

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In Game 1, Michigan City used big plays by Dee Evans and Makayla Adams — both of whom would end the night with six kills apiece — to withstand a Trojan rally. The Wolves opened up with an 11-3 lead which the Trojans were able to erase and actually took the lead at 19-18 after Kate Nowak served five straight points, but City righted the ship and came away with the game.

Being able to hold off the Wolves in Game 2 — with City serving at 24-23 and 25-24 — allowed Chesterton to avoid staring at an 0-2 deficit heading into Game 3.

“If you can get back to even, the whole night starts over again and our conditioning will take over,” Chesterton head coach TR Harlan said. “We figure in every match, we’re going to begin to play well. We’re usually in pretty good shape and we don’t get tired.”

Chesterton was able to weave its way through unforced errors to pull out Game 3 and Game 4. In the final game, Chesterton jumped out to a 5-1 lead before seeing the Wolves roar back to take a 9-6 lead.

In the two teams’ previous meeting at the Wolves Den, Chesterton rallied to force a Game 5 before falling to the Wolves. Tuesday night, it was the Trojans attempting to fend off City.

“I knew we had momentum if we could jump on them,” Harlan said of entering Game 4. “We did, but we gave it right back. We said before Game 4, don’t let it go to Game 5 like we did last time.

“Last time we were fighting like heck to catch up, this time we just didn’t want it to get there.”

Chesterton would eventually break a 17-17 tie and never looked back in the final game.

Lydia Gill led Chesterton with 16 kills, Emily Nix had 15 kills, and Shelby Ruffner had 13 kills. Katie Urycki had nine kills and three aces.

“We’ve played a lot of four- and five-set matches,” Harlan said. “That’s just the way we are. We’re pretty comfortable that way.”

City (13-14 overall, 6-6 DAC) was led by 11 kills apiece from Sarah Puckett and Brooke Westphal. Megan VanGemeren had 12 digs.

After finishing the first go-around in the Duneland Conference double round robin with a 5-2 record, City has struggled on the return trip, going 1-4 with two league matches remaining.

“At this point in the season, we had such a successful first half, that we’ve now put an ‘X’ on our backs,” Caudle said. “When you play good in the first half of the season, you have to play your best in the second half. People are out to get you.”

Caudle said she was not at all disappointed with the way her team performed Tuesday, but praised Chesterton for holding off her squad.

“We didn’t play bad,” Caudle said. “We played a good match. Chesterton is a very good, solid team.

“When you go against good athletes, you have to earn every point.”

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Wolves finish DAC on high note

Michigan City's Megan Daurer tips the ball at the net during Tuesday's match with Portage at the Wolves Den. Photo by Scott Allen
By Drew White
Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, October 12, 2011 1:30 PM CDT
MICHIGAN CITY — Heading into the first meeting between the Michigan City and Portage volleyball teams last month, the Wolves were riding the high of a five-match Duneland Conference winning streak.

A loss to the Indians seemed to take the wind out of City’s sails as the Wolves won just one DAC match on their way back through the conference schedule.

That is until City closed out its DAC regular season schedule with a 25-17, 25-15, 25-21 win over Portage Tuesday night at the Wolves Den.

Just as in the earlier match, the Wolves (14-15, 7-7 DAC) got out to a quick start but unlike the earlier meeting, the Wolves finished what they started.

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“When we went there, what you saw tonight is what happened then, but we just started spinning our wheels,” City head coach Kylee Caudle said. “It was important tonight that we finished Game 3. To know that we beat them in three is a confidence builder for us.”

City never trailed in either of the first two games of Tuesday’s match and only trailed for a brief moment before building a permanent lead in Game 3. The Wolves held a lead of 12 points in Game 1 and closed out Game 2 with a 7-2 run.

Junior Sarah Puckett led the Wolves with 16 kills and five blocks, including three kills that came on a 6-0 City run in Game 3 that erased the Wolves’ only deficit of the game.

“She found the holes in the court and then when they adjusted, she found the cross court,” Caudle said of Puckett. “It’s not always about the big kill, it’s about being smart.”

Megan Daurer had 33 assists, Megan VanGemeren had 12 digs, and Katelyn Surber-Robles had seven blocks for the Wolves

Caudle said she thought her Wolves kept their composure well throughout the match, but with the postseason approaching, she wants to see more aggression out of her team.

“In the first two games, when Portage called timeouts, we were calm, cool, and collected,” Caudle said. “That’s good, but at this time of the season, I’d like to see us with claws out and being aggressive.”

Thursday’s season finale will be senior night at the Wolves Den and a familiar face will make her return to City as former Wolves player and head coach Sarah Hendricks (McFarland) brings defending state champion Penn to town.

The Kingsmen have only one loss this season, Hendricks’ first at the helm of the program.

“It’s going to be exciting to hang out with her, even if it’s just for a brief moment behind the scorers table,” Caudle said. “The seniors had two years playing with her, so it will be fun to have the last match of the year with her coming back. In that respect, it will be special.”

The Wolves will open their postseason a week from Thursday in the quarterfinals of the La Porte Sectional, facing Portage for the third time this season.

Contact sports writer Drew White at dwhite@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 447.

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Teamwork, defined

By Drew White
Unwritten No More
Published: Monday, October 17, 2011 2:05 PM CDT
It hasn’t been uncommon for Megan Daurer, Megan VanGemeren, and Sarah Puckett to team up over the past several years on the volleyball court.

Usually it is a dig from VanGemeren which is then set by Daurer who gets credit for an assist when Puckett spikes a kill through a hole in the defense.

On Thursday night, it was VanGemeren and Puckett who got credit for the assist in a situation which demonstrates that you don’t have to be within whistles or lines to demonstrate teamwork.

As the Michigan City volleyball team celebrated senior night at the Wolves Den, Daurer took to the microphone to sing The Star Spangled Banner prior to the Wolves’ final regular season match against visiting Penn.

*
When the song called for Daurer to sing, “And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,” a silence fell upon the gymnasium.

It was followed by light-hearted laughter as the crowd looked toward Daurer, whose memory appeared to have temporarily failed her.

Daurer, one of the six City seniors who had been honored during pregame festivities looked around trying to figure out what to do next.

It was then that VanGemeren and Puckett, both juniors, trotted from their spot on the Michigan City end line toward their struggling teammate.

At first, they consoled Daurer. Then they picked up where she had left off.

While the rendition included a longer than normal pause, not a lyric was missed.

The crowd that night, exceptionally large given the homecoming of Penn head coach Sarah Hendricks, applauded the efforts of the three girls who had just exhibited a teamwork that you don’t teach in practice.

Hendricks, formerly McFarland, was a member of City’s 1995 state championship team and more recently served as head coach of the Wolves volleyball program for three seasons until she was forced out of the job by an unfortunate string of events involving money-crunching and personnel issues.

You needed to look no further than Thursday night’s crowd as evidence of how much Hendricks is missed by her former players and colleagues at Michigan City High School.

Current City head coach Kylee Caudle took over for Hendricks to begin last season, after serving as an assistant. She took the position less out of a desire to be head coach and more out of a desire to see the program continue in the direction Hendricks had it going.

She was among those that couldn’t have been happier to see her close friend back at home – even though she wore opposing colors.

Hendricks’ Kingsmen beat the Wolves in three straight Thursday night, and with only one loss on the season, they appear to be well-prepared to defend their state title as sectionals open this week.

City is Caudle’s program now, but it was quite appropriate that both were present to see the moment where VanGemeren and Puckett, both of whom entered the Hendricks-Caudle program as freshmen, showed that they learned a little something under both coaches – teamwork.

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http://posttrib.suntimes.com/sports/highsc...mc-laporte.html

OK, so maybe getting the first point of each game isn’t that important.

Duneland Conference rivals Michigan City and host LaPorte both swept their opponents at the Class 4A sectional, though the winning teams only struck first once in six combined games.

The wins set up a rubber match between the Wolves and Slicers, who split during the regular season.

“Coach always tells us to get the first five (points) and the last five,” Michigan City (15-16) junior Sarah Puckett said following a tightly contested 25-21, 25-22, 25-21 win over Portage (10-21) in the first match of the night. “Got to push to the end.”

Based on Puckett’s stats (17-for-38 in kills and two aces) and the team’s move to more out-of-system plays (including Pukett constantly shifting from the front line to the back), the Wolves continued to push. In every game they were down at the start, but fought back to win.

“If it’s not from point A, to point B … then what is plan C?” MC coach Kylee Caudle said of her change in strategy.