By MIKE MATHIS
MALDEN -- The little school with the big hammer, Morgan Township maintained its supremacy in Porter County Conference volleyball Wednesday, rebounding for a four-game win (21-25, 25-13, 25-22, 26-24) over contender South Central.
Emily Rastovski, a 6-foot-2 Purdue recruit, blasted 29 kills, many from all three front-row positions and hitting pipe in the back row. She shared match MVP honors with Jordan Ogiego, who had a year's difference performance in the 16 days since the Cherokees' first home match. She looked comfortable in all aspects of the game, while Grace Good lived up to her last name with seven kills and Libero Nina Nash notched 18 digs.
South Central (5-3) didn't concede easily, going up a game and pushing Morgan hard in games three and four. It drew within 23-22 in the third game before Ogiego connected on a thumb down cut roll shot to the middle 10-foot line on a set outside the antenna. A Satellites set into the net ended the game,
Its back against the wall in game four, S.C. rallied a 22-18 deficit to pull even at 23 and 24. After an Ogiego service point, the Satellites looked to set middle, but the pass wasn't there and a setter dump was blocked for the night's last point.
South Central did well when they attacked in the middle with Lauren Garner and Lanie Criswell. Consistent setting was the key. When the ball was there, Garner was able to exploit a one-hit block, but things went awry late in the match.
Coach Jan Fitzpatrick, who took North Judson to the state finals in 2018, said her team needs to be tougher mentally and know when to make runs. She was proud of Lauren Bowmar, a non-club player and three-sport athlete, for holding her own against Rastovski.
"The season is one big, long practice," Fitzpatrick said.
Follow Mike Mathis for local volleyball coverage and analysis at @mathis_m_g
Morgan Township maintained control of the Porter County Conference with a four-game win over visiting South Central on Wednesday. (Photo by Mike Mathis)