Blink of an eye

VANDALIA - For the second time in four years, New Bremen watched a state championship slip away against Tiffin Calvert.

The Cardinals squandered two eight-point leads and lost three straight sets, and the Senecas capitalized to send New Bremen to a 25-20, 23-25, 22-25, 21-25 defeat in the Division IV State Volleyball Championship match at Vandalia-Butler's Student Activity Center.

"It really, really hurts, because we were there," New Bremen coach Diana Kramer said. "We were in control, we were there, we were in the driver's seat, and unfortunately we took a break."

After winning the first set, New Bremen was poised to send the Senecas to the brink, turning a 7-4 deficit in the second set into a 20-12 lead. But the Cardinals blinked, surrendering a 10-0 run with five hitting errors and a blocking error to allow the Senecas to take control.

"I think that run took place in two and a half minutes," Kramer said. "Before you blinked an eye, the score was tied."

New Bremen rallied from a four-point deficit and took a 22-21 lead in the third set, but Calvert won the final four points to take the lead in sets.

In the fourth set, with the Cardinals now on the brink, Josie Reinhart got four early kills and Claire Pape added two more to give New Bremen a 15-6 lead. But once again, the momentum vanished and the Cardinals came apart. The Senecas tied the set at 18, pulled ahead at 19-18, and won six of the next nine points to finish what New Bremen couldn't.

"I still thought up until the ball hit the ground that we were going to win, because we expect to win in New Bremen," Kramer said. "Unfortunately we didn't, and that's because Tiffin Calvert kept fighting. They continued to stay focused, and they just made the plays down the stretch."

Initially it was New Bremen that kept fighting to find a way to win in the first set. After neither team could get an advantage early, Tiffin Calvert pulled away for a small lead at 14-11 only to watch the Cardinals go on a 10-3 run to take control.

New Bremen held on for the next four points to close out the first set, but wasn't able to finish the rest of the way.

"This medal signifies so many memories," Kramer said. "It might not be the color that we wanted it to be, however we are incredibly proud. This is something no one can take away from us."

Reinhart led New Bremen with 15 kills, followed by Elli Roetgerman with 13 and Kaylee Freund with 12. Pape added 41 assists and Diana Heitkamp had 23 digs.

It was the fourth state title game for New Bremen in four years, and the Cardinals' two losses both came to Tiffin Calvert. In 2018, the Senecas rebounded from an opening set loss to win the next two, but the Cardinals were able to force a fifth set, in which they fell 15-10.

"It has been a blessing," Reinhart said. "Not many people get half as far as we've gotten. I've been here all four years, and two of the years I've left smiling and cheering and two of the years I left defeated, but it's a blessing both ways."