By By SCOTT NOVAK / Dowagiac Daily News
EDWARDSBURG – Dowagiac coach Ryan Frontczak said his team didn't show up Tuesday night in losing to the host Lady Eddies 25-14, 25-22 and 25-16 at the Class B District Volleyball Tournament.
On the other side of the net, Edwardsburg brought the kind of emotion that coach Sarah Cichowicz was hoping to see.
"Our intensity has picked up toward the end of the season," Cichowicz said. "And that's what I've been striving for. The girls are finally getting it."
The Lady Eddies set the tone early and didn't let up the entire match.
Dowagiac did show some life in the middle set, but couldn't match the Edwardsburg (16-19-4) intensity.
"Nobody came to play," Frontczak said. "We weren't ready. We had a great two days of practice, but come today nobody showed up."
The loss ended the Chieftains' season at 30-15, a new school record for the second straight season.
"It's going to be hard to say goodbye to these seniors," Frontczak added
Edwardsburg co-captain and returning All-Lakeland Conference performer Elise Mackling was on fire Tuesday night.
Mackling finished with 16 kills, 17 digs, four aces and two blocks.
Cichowicz said that the reason she was able to dominate up front was her teammates.
"Elise is a great hitter," Cichowicz said. "But the passes and sets were there tonight. She had a lot of great swings."
Co-captain Christina Hans finished with six kills, 22 digs and two aces, while Emily Getz had four kills and two blocks; Emily Kozinski had four kills; Erin Burks four blocks; Maddi Mueller 27 digs; Amelia Breslin 20 assists; and Jenn Mackling 12 assists.
No individual statistics were provided for Dowagiac.
Lakeshore…2
Buchanan…3
Lisa Holok, Buchanan's volleyball coach got to double her pleasure Tuesday night in the opening round tournament.
She got to watch her team advance to Thursday's semifinals and she also got to see her team beat her alma mater – Lakeshore in a marathon match that lasted nearly two hours.
The Lady Bucks (33-12) needed five sets to knock off the Lady Lancers to earn a date against St. Joseph on Thursday at 5 p.m.
Buchanan defeated Lakeshore 23-25, 25-12, 21-25, 25-22 and 15-8.
"It's definitely one of my coaching highlights," Holok said. "To be at a competitive level with a team that I had so much success with is a dream come true."
Holok was a star for the Lady Lancers when they captured the state championship in 1995 and reached the state semifinals in 1998.
In the fifth and deciding set, senior Anna Callahan took over and led the Lady Bucks to the victory.
Callahan had a kill and three blocks for Buchanan in the final set.
The Lady Bucks scored seven out of the final eight points to close out the Lady Lancers.
"My seniors know what I expect of them," Holok said. "And they know that this team is going to win or lose on their backs. Tonight they performed when they had to."
Callahan finished with 14 kills, while senior Courtney Miller had a team-high 18 kills and freshman Audrey Oake 12 kills.
Junior Rachel Downs led the Lady Bucks in digs with 35, while junior Kayle Brademas had 13 digs and senior Jayme O'Bryant 12 digs.
Junior Alexis Lenox had 54 assists for Buchanan.
Buchanan will face St. Joseph at 5 p.m. on Thursday, while Edwardsburg will meet the Lady Shamrocks at 6:30 p.m.
The district title will be decided on Saturday at 10 a.m.