NTC VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT NOTEBOOK: Vonderheide credits sugar for needed help on long day; setters showcase skills for multiple area teams
Oct. 22—For the fifth time in the last six years, the Windsor-Stewardson-Strasburg (WSS) volleyball team won the National Trail Conference Tournament.
The Hatchets defeated Altamont (25-9, 25-22), St. Elmo-Brownstown (25-18, 25-14), South Central (25-21, 24-26, 25-21), and St. Anthony in the championship for a second-straight year (25-21, 25-14).
Below are two takeaways from the tournament.
SUGAR RUSH
Gabby Vonderheide noted one thing that helped her get through a tough day of volleyball.
"Pixie sticks," she said.
The sugary candy assisted the WSS junior outside hitter after a tough three-set match against South Central — and throughout the tournament — to get her energy up. A strategy that ended up working for her.
Vonderheide finished the tournament with 42 kills, 42 digs, two blocks, two assists, and two aces.
"I think I was hitting pretty well. Against South Central, I was overused, and against [St. Anthony] I was tired, but I still hit well," Vonderheide said.
Vonderheide has 233 kills this season and is hitting .293. She also adds 259 digs, 12 aces, and nine blocks.
SETTING THEM UP
The Effingham Daily News coverage area has a wealth of quality setters, five of which played in Effingham County for the tournament.
Those five were North Clay's Camdyn Tappendorf, Altamont's Peyton Osteen, St. Anthony's Addie Wernsing, South Central's Olivia Brauer, and WSS' Ella Kinkelaar.
Kinkelaar totaled a whopping 100 assists for WSS in her four matches, highlighted by a 42-assist showing against South Central.
As for Tappendorf, she finished with 68 assists in four matches, with her best showing coming against Dieterich when she had 21 assists.
"Camdyn is one of those players that brings everyone together, and she gives it her all at all times," North Clay head coach Megan Welty said. "That was very obvious in the NTC Tournament; she was the one that pushed everyone to keep playing and not give up."
Like Tappendorf, Brauer never gave up, either, finishing with 58 assists in a two-setter system.
Brauer does the bulk of the setting in the system — she has 326 assists this year — but Sidney Shumate can also take the load off her shoulders.
During the tournament, Shumate had 38 assists in 10 sets played, bringing her total to 258 assists this year.
That duo isn't the only two-setter duo in the area, though.
Wernsing also shares that role with senior Anna Faber, although the ever-athletic Wernsing assisted on more attacks during the tournament with 54; using Wernsing more in the postseason could benefit the Bulldogs if they want to make a long run.
While that quartet of setters led the top teams in the conference, so did a setter for a competitive Altamont bunch.
Osteen finished with 49 assists for the tournament and is someone first-year head coach Tessa Philpot loves having on her side.
"Peyton has been a major asset to the team this season," said Philpot in an email to the Effingham Daily News. "She has done a fantastic job leading the team and keeping everyone together. Along with being a team leader, she is always on top of her game. The way she played in the NTC is a reflection of how she has been playing the entire season which has been with accuracy and determination."
Contact EDN Sports Editor Alex Wallner at 618-510-9231 or alex.wallner@effinghamdailynews.com.
