Yorktown celebrates a point against Delta during their game at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown’s Rhyen Neal passes against Delta during their game at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown celebrates a point against Delta during their game at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown’s Rhyen Neal hits past Delta’s defense during their game at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown’s Mimi Arrington struggles to hit past Delta’s Audrey Woodin during their game at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown’s McKenzie Knuckles passes against Delta during their sectional game at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
Yorktown celebrates a point against Delta during their game at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
MUNCIE — What does a team do when it wins its biggest match of the season against its biggest rival in the afternoon, then has to play again later that night with equally high stakes?
It rests, and it rests some more.
The Yorktown Tigers began Saturday by winning a physically and mentally draining five-set match over Delta, and six hours later returned to claim the Class 3A Delta Sectional championship with a 3-0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-11) victory against Guerin Catholic. The Tigers, who won a second straight sectional title, travel to Bellmont (21-14) for regional play Tuesday.
“We had to stay focused because we had that championship in mind,” said Yorktown setter Mimi Arrington, who handed out 85 assists in the two matches. “This morning was so emotional, we just had to keep steady and keep our eyes forward.”
It’s easy to say, but much harder to actually do.
Heck, even Yorktown coach Stephanie Bloom anticipated a slight drop-off.
“Going five games and as high emotion as it was this morning, I expected a little bit of a letdown, but I was actually really proud of the focus they played with,” Bloom said. “I didn’t feel like we played going through the motions.”
The one exception was the beginning of the match when the top-ranked Tigers fell behind 8-6, but a 19-3 spurt to close the set quickly squashed any hopes of an upset. Maybe it was a wake-up call because the Tigers cruised after that.
“That (Delta) game was such an energy drainer, and we gave it everything we had,” said Kendall Murr, who had 10 kills in the nightcap. “… (But) we knew Guerin Catholic was coming out ready to go. It’s do or die, and everyone is playing to win.”
Delta (24-11) surely was in the semifinal earlier, playing what coach Heidi Zickgraf called its “best match of the season,” though Yorktown rallied for a 3-2 (23-25, 25-16, 22-25, 25-12, 15-9) victory.
“We did exactly what we needed to do and what we had been preparing to do for the last few weeks,” she said. “I can’t be more proud of our seniors for the way they played, and I couldn’t be more proud of the rest of the girls for the effort they gave.”
One of those seniors, Audrey Woodin (17 kills, 21 digs), tallied the final two kills in the first set, and the other senior, Kaylee Nichols, put home the winner in the third set.
Yorktown’s McKenzie Knuckles hits against Delta during their sectional game at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
But freshman Kenzie Knuckles came to the rescue for Yorktown. Arrington set her on the outside, in the back row – basically wherever in the fourth and fifth sets. Knuckles had six of her 29 kills in the final set alone.
The Tigers (35-1) needed every bit of Knuckles’ dominant performance as it walked off the floor after the third set facing elimination, a strange feeling for a team which has spent most of the season ranked in the top 20 nationally and had lost just five sets all season.
“(Coach Bloom) definitely put us in check,” Knuckles said of the conversation before the fourth set. “She told us we have to buy in; we have to fight because that’s what we’re known for, our grit.”
“Coach (Rhonda) Murr came in right before, and she told us you have to be ready for this. They’re not going to shut down, and they can beat us.”
Knuckles had a modest 12 kills in the second match of the day while Olivia Reed had seven and Rhyen Neal six.
For a Yorktown team which also got two solid matches from Kate Avila (19 kills, 36 digs), it’s fair to wonder if that lone loss – to Central on Sept. 26 – was beneficial, as Bloom had predicted it would be several weeks ago.
“We had taken a loss before, so we knew how to handle it,” York said of being on the ropes against Delta. “We just had to stay focused. We couldn’t think about being down, we had to play with everything we had.”
Contact sports features writer Ryan O’Gara at (765) 213-5829. Follow him on Twitter @RyanOGaraTSP.