Published: September 07, 2008 12:36 am            

ROUNDUP: Pioneers go 2-2 at Early Bird

The Providence volleyball team struggled in its opener, but recovered to beat defending Class 4A state champion New Castle and Evansville-area power Castle for a 2-2 finish in the Providence Early Bird Tournament on Saturday.

The victory against the Knights gave Providence a fifth-place finish in a prestigious field that also included volleyball powerhouses like Indianapolis Cathedral, Boonville, Roncalli, Columbus East and Jasper.

It was Jasper that dealt the Pioneers their first loss, taking a 26-24, 25-21 decision in the best-of-three format.

“Overall, today was a good day for our team,” said Providence coach Terri Purichia. “We played with very little emotion in the first match against Jasper, but rebounded well and played a great match against New Castle.”

Providence took down the Trojans 25-23, 26-24 and then went on to a 25-21, 25-21 loss to Cathedral to finish 1-2 in pool play.

“Cathedral had two very strong (middle hitters), and I thought we played well offensively and defensively against them. Take away a few untimely errors and we win the match,” Purichia said. “Against Castle, we played well enough to win and end on a positive note. We really saw some good things.”

Cathedral went on to win the tournament by upending Columbus East in the final. Roncalli finished third by beating New Castle.

Laura Der led the Pioneers with 37 kills and 29 digs, while Providence’s Lucy Knott had 25 kills and seven blocks.

Christina Keller was the defensive star for Providence, recording 33 digs and 12 service points, and Pioneer setter Elizabeth Endris passed for 108 assists.

The Pioneers will host Louisville Butler on Wednesday.



BOYS’ SOCCER

• Highlanders prevail at home: Jordan Adams booted both of Floyd Central’s goals in a 2-1 win over visiting Evansville Reitz.

Teammate Zach Brutcher assisted one of Adams’ scores. The other goal was unassisted.

The Highlanders will travel to Louisville Butler on Monday.



CROSS COUNTRY

• Book, Wink take top two spots in Martinsville: Providence’s Oliver Book won the Martinsville Invitational in a time of 16:33. Clarksville junior J.T. Wink finished second in a personal-best 16:52.

The Pioneers’ Jake Ford wound up 13th, as Providence finished seventh out of 14 teams.

Providence run in the Scottsburg Invite on Tuesday.



CROSS COUNTRY

• Creek boys win division at State Preview Meet: The Silver Creek boys’ team scored 55 points to win the Class 2A division at the State Preview Meet in Terre Haute.

The Dragons’ Aaron Beck and Jack Eckert both placed in the top 10. Beck finished sixth, while Eckert was seventh. Silver Creek sophomore Eli Staton finished 11th, teammate Corey Alford was 13th and the Dragons’ Brendan Chwalek placed 17th.

“We got great runs out of our top four runners in this race,” Silver Creek head coach Al Eckert said. “It was a tough course and I was very pleased with our times. Aaron ran wonderfully and Eli and Corey ran personal-best times. This was a very encouraging race for us.”

In the girls’ race, Silver Creek junior Olivia Horvath placed third in the 2A race, as the Dragons fielded an incomplete team. Also for Creek, Chelsea Schrader was 10th, Emily Warren placed 17th and Cassie Hisle finished 27th.

“Olivia Horvath ran a fabulous race,” Coach Eckert said. “She has worked her tail off and she is seeing the fruits of her labor. Chelsea ran extremely well in her first varsity competition. We get our other two runners going and we could be a tough team by the end of the year. Overall, we had a big day.”

The Dragon boys and girls will race in the Scottsburg Invitational on Tuesday.

• Book, Wink take top two spots in Martinsville: Providence’s Oliver Book won the Martinsville Invitational in a time of 16:33. Clarksville junior J.T. Wink finished second in a personal-best 16:52.

The Pioneers’ Jake Ford wound up 13th, as Providence finished seventh out of 14 teams.

Clarksville fielded an incomplete team, but its other two runners placed in the top 50. Junior Brent Lewellen finished 25th, and sophomore Brad Kemp was 50th. Lewellen and Kemp both posted personal-record times.

“The name of the game is to improve week by week, and I’m pleased we are doing just that,” Generals’ coach Darrell Kingery said.

Providence and Clarksville will both run in the Scottsburg Invite on Tuesday.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.