By MIKE MATHIS
You have to hand it Wheeler's Emma Santos.
Matched up across the net with 6-foot-2 powerhouse Emily Rastovski of Morgan Township in Monday's volleyball match, the Bearcats senior fearlessly dug in her heels, despite giving away 10 inches.
While Santos stood firm with touches on straight down shots, the Purdue-bound Cherokees all-stater was a monster out of the back row, where she registered six of her 14 kills in the 25-16, 25-22, 25-10 victory.
Rastovski's biggest improvement was passing, digging and overall court awareness. Possessing a 10-foot, 3-inch touch, she has always been a force offensively, but Rastovski was spectacular in other areas in the match, suggesting she could contribute early in West Lafayette. Everyone in the Big Ten can hit, but only a few have the defensive skill set to complement their attacking.
Though Morgan will go through Rastovski, it won't be a solo act. Its future force could be 5-10 Jordan Ogiego, a Dunes Volleyball product who has hired coaches for additional training. She had five kills in the match. Libero Nina Nash (20 digs), another Dunes clubber, stood out, with Sidney Moore and Grace Good performing as advertised. Ella DePorter made the play of the night on game point in the second stanza, ranging five feet outside the court to hit a thumb-down cut shot inside the 10-foot line.
Wheeler struggled passing the ball, making most of its points off Morgan errors, though Santos and Haley Wieland (eight kills) were gamers.
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