Thursday’s varsity volleyball match against the LaPorte Slicers determined who would be the 2013 conference champion. Because of hard work and perseverance, LC came out on top.

“It felt awesome. As a team we knew it would be like the breaking point whether we would get first place in conference or not. We were all just hyped up and we played really well together,” Rylee Ollearis (10) said.

In the first game of the match, Alyssa Stepney (11) got the Indians off on a head start by scoring the first five points, culminating with a powerful spike by Victoria Gardenhire (10).

From there, LaPorte and Lake Central traded points. The girls kept the pressure on the Slicers as Brooke Renner (11), Gardenhire, Julia Kruzan (10), Stepney, Katherine Stepanian (12) and Megan Malatestinic (12) kept the spikes coming and winning critical points.

“[This volleyball game] was more of an adrenaline rush,” Stepney said.

The Slicers made a great comeback from being down 20-9. In no time the score was 23-21. The Indians kept their composure and took the first set off a great combination block.

“We missed probably a couple serves that we shouldn’t have, but otherwise our offense was going strong. Our defense was awesome; there was a couple serve-receive moments but that was about it,” Ollearis said.

Set two started off the same way as set one as Renner served nine straight points. The points were scored of a barrage of spikes from Gardenhire and Stepney.

The Indians continued to spike their way to point after point. The second set also had its share of aces as Stephanie Spigolon (10) continuously put pressure on LaPorte to control the serve. The Indians once again finished off the game with a crucial block. The final score was 25-16.

“At the beginning I was nervous, but it was a really exciting, fun game; [there was] a little pressure, too, because we knew we had to get the job done. But it was mostly fun,” Spigolon said.

True to form, the Indians started off game three with a 9-1 run. The defense was apparent in game three as the Indians kept the ball alive with key digs and saves from Danielle Ellis (11), Spigolon and Ollearis. The match was a back-and-forth affair until the end when the Indians pulled away to a 25-20 final.

“After the game it was almost like the pressure was relieved off our shoulders because we finally won,” Spigolon said.

The win against the Slicers crowned the Indians the 2013 Duneland Athletic Conference Champions. The girls’ next game is Monday, Oct.15 at Valparaiso.