Tiger volleyball takes down Titans in five-set thriller

Chloe Johnson hit .537 efficiency with a career-high 32 kills in Red Oak’s five-set win over Class 4A, number five state-ranked Lewis Central Tuesday, Sept. 17 in front of an electrified home crowd.
“Chloe was phenomenal tonight,” Red Oak head coach Angie Montgomery said. “I thought 100 percent defense was going to win us that game, and that is what we set the tone for in that fifth set. If we can serve-receive well, which we did, and if we can take away [Megan] Witte, which we did , I was confident we could win. We changed up our defense a little on her and shut her down on the line.”
Red Oak took the first, third, and fifth sets with scores of 25-23, 25-23, and 15-9, respectively, while falling in the second and fourth with scores of 25-18, 25-19, respectively.
“We have a lot of kids that play six rotations and we put a lot of faith in them,” Montgomery said. “They are fantastic. We played six rotations in a five-set match; that shows 100 percent who is in better condition. We expect those girls to be our workhorses in the front row, and they are going to be our defense in the back. They don’t get a chance to get a rest.”
C. Johnson ended the game with a double-double, adding 25 digs to go along with the 32 kills. She earned two block assists and was perfect at the service line, going 20/20.
Other Tigers earning double doubles in the match were Sophie Walker with 18 kills, 26 digs; Ellie Rengstorf with 24 assists, 15 digs; and Abbey Jones 35 assists, 12 digs. Walker and added one block assist while going perfect at the service line 18 times; and Rengstorf chipped in two kills, one block, one ace.
Lexi Johnson had nine kills, one assist, 16 digs, four blocks; Allie West four kills, 12 digs, two blocks; Liz Carbaugh three digs, four blocks; and Tory Carrick one assist, one dig, one block.
The freshman volleyball team fell to Lewis Central 25-13, 25-13.
“The score did not reflect the great play and effort these girls showed me during this match,” freshmen coach Dana Ramirez said. “We had six players for the game with girls playing in positions outside their comfort zones. Their unity and effort for the team was a win in my book.  We have our own set of goals this season, and they are striving for them each match.”
Statistical leaders for the game include Lainey Devries with five blocks, five kills; and Bridget Archer with three aces.
Red Oak Tournament
The Tigers hosted a nine-team tournament Saturday, Sept. 21, placing second in the tournament behind Abraham Lincoln with a tournament record of 5-1.
“I was extremely proud and satisfied by the level of play that I saw today,” Montgomery said. “I felt our passing and serve-receive was excellent, which allowed us to have a really strong and solid attack throughout the whole day.”
Montgomery felt that a highlight of the day was the Tiger win over class 3A state-ranked number six Mount Vernon in two sets. “Even though [Mount Vernon} had several division one hitters, the Tigers consistently passed the ball well and put it away with a solid and well-balanced attack. During the games today, I also was very impressed with the aggressive serving of our team, which collected a total of 16 ace serves over six matches. Our tournament continues to be one of the best in the state, and for us to go 5-1 was a big achievement ending a tough week for the Tigers.”
The lone loss of the day came to class 5A number eight Abraham Lincoln.
In pool play, Red Oak defeated Harlan 21-11, 21-18. In repool play Red Oak defeated Clarinda 21-8, 21-12 and Treynor 21-8, 21-15.
The tournament was repooled once again and Red Oak defeated Mount Vernon 21-16, 21-9, and fell to Abraham Lincoln 15-21, 21-17, 15-11.
Walker and C. Johnson were named to the all-tournament team. Other selections were Elaina Bohnet, Sam Christiansen, and Kayla Schleifman of Abraham Lincoln; Lauren Schrock and Summer Brand of Mount Vernon; Ashley Hall of Harlan; Kelsey Fields of Creston; and Kelsey Hobbie of Sidney.
Red Oak statistical leaders for the tournament are as follows: Walker 47 kills, 56 digs, three blocks, one ace; C. Johnson 45 kills, one assist, 48 digs, four blocks, three aces; L. Johnson 39 kills, one ace, six blocks, two aces; West 15 kills, two assists, 33 digs, six blocks, one ace; Rengstorf six kills, 66 assists, 44 digs, three blocks, nine aces; Jones two kills, 57 assists, 23 digs; Carrick one kill, 10 assists, five digs, two blocks; Lennon O’Neal one kill; Carbaugh one kill; Kam Wendt one kill, one assist, one dig; Chloe DeVries four assists.
The Tigers travel to Creston on Thrusday, Sept. 26, for Hawkeye 10 action. Freshmen start the evening at 5:30 p.m.