Norwalk outlasts Columbian in thriller

NORWALK — The crowd on both sides was roaring. Host Norwalk was trailing 13-12 in the fifth and deciding set against Tiffin Columbian in a match between the top two teams in the SBC Lake Division. And senior libero Mac Wineman couldn't have loved every second of it more. "It's so incredible," Wineman said. "I think my favorite part is watching these underclassmen get a big kill, because it gets me excited for the future." Columbian was whistled for a violation to tie the final set at 13-13, then Norwalk got a kill from Sydney Moehlman, and an out of bounds hit that sealed a 15-13 win on Thursday at Norwalk High School. Norwalk (11-1, 4-0) posted scores of 20-25, 25-23, 25-21, 21-25 and 15-13 as the Tornadoes fell to 9-4 (2-1). Norwalk also trailed by 10 points in the second set that it won. "They are a big SBC rival, and the fact that we could take care of business tonight … incredible," Wineman said after she again led the defense with 34 digs. "I'm so proud of everybody." Neither team led by more than two points in the final set. Columbian led 9-7 when Norwalk got a big save from Lucy Schlotterer and Maddie Gamble, which then led to a hit by the Tornadoes sailing out of bounds. Norwalk trailed 11-10 when Schlotterer notched yet another kill on consecutive points to keep it tied at 12 before Columbian standout Kaela Jenkins had a well-placed lob for the 13-12 lead. "Mentally, I know we're going to win," Wineman said about when her team was trailing late. "I have it in my mind. If you get it in your head that you're not going to win or you could lose, then you've already lost. "You have to keep winning in your mind, and one of my biggest jobs is keeping everyone else excited, hyping others up. I have to be a leader on this team and am constantly looking to pick everyone up." Wineman was also focused on getting a strong dig in the closing points of the fifth set. "I have to get a good ball, so then I know Emily (Tyler) and the front row will take care of it," she said. "I'm just thinking about what's coming next, and what I can do to help everybody improve." Norwalk head coach Sarah Kipp said her team took care of the block on the outside and didn't let the ball fall defensively over the final three points. And, her two stars played like stars. Schlotterer finished with 24 kills, 20 digs and served three aces. "Lucy and Mac were just outstanding," Kipp said. "They gave us everything you could ever want out of two seniors … they took control tonight." Tyler finished with 40 assists and 10 digs for Norwalk. Freshmen Maddie Gamble (10 kills, 12 digs) and Ainslee King (six blocks, five kills) also played pivotal roles. "That was a big match for those two freshmen," Kipp said. When Norwalk lost the first set and was in danger of falling behind 2-0 in the second set, Wineman said nerves were a factor. The team had been off for a full week before Thursday. "I think everyone was nervous, and the second set was a good time to get that all out of our system and leave it all out on the court," she said. Norwalk is at Perkins and Bellevue next week in league play, then has a big Saturday tri-match with Lexington at Shelby on Sept. 28. The trip to Bellevue on Sept. 26 is the start of the second round of league matches. "We have to work on our confidence in high-pressure situations," Kipp said. "Ultimately, we struggled to get things going in the first two sets. We hit a stride in the third set, and the fourth had an odd start. "We played the first couple points well, and then there was just a lot of chaos type things. Those are mental errors that we have to work on. But this was huge. We know what the stakes are when we play Tiffin, so home or away, any win you can get against them is a big one."