Varsity volleyball dominated over the Merrillville Pirates in an away match on Sept. 12. The Lady Indians beat the Pirates in three sets, the scores being: 25-17, 25-14, 25-11.

Stephanie Spigolon (10) started with serve in the first set. The Pirates were beating the Indians in the first set until Victoria Gardenhire (10) served, tying the game 13-13.

“I always expect them to be sharp from start to finish, play with fire and hold themselves accountable for high level of play,” Coach Tina Tinberg said.

Danielle Ellis (11) finished the first game with line drive serves, bringing the score from 23-17 to 25-17.

“We knew going in that we would be going up against a big block, and have to serve aggressively,” Tinberg said.

In the second set of the night, Rylee Ollearis (10) served five for the Indians, making the score 8-2. The team was getting a huge lead against the Pirates, bringing the score up to 17-12.

“We played well as a team; there was good chemistry and good energy,” Ollearis (10) said.

Gardenhire finished the second set with a hard-driven kill, making the score 25-14.

“We did really good as a team. We implemented a lot of the stuff we have been working on from practice,” Megan Malatestinic(12) said.

In the third set, Spigolon started serving for the Indians, putting them ahead six points. Towards the end of the game, Alyssa Stepney (11) made a kill for the Indians. Spigolon put the ball in the deep right corner, making the third set winning point.

“[In] today’s game we were sharp, executed nicely, [and] served with velocity. I’m very proud of the girls, but there’s still work to be done,” Tinberg said.