By
Mike McGraw
Executive Director
MUNCIE
– In the end, it was an extraordinary day for senior Darcy Dorton and her Delta
High School volleyball team.
The
top-ranked Eagles won the Class 3A state championship late in the afternoon of
Nov. 8 at Worthen Arena on the campus of Ball State University. They did so by
defeating a talented No. 3 Mishawaka Marian team in three games in the title
match. Shortly after the conclusion of that contest, the 6’2” Dorton was named
the IHSAA Mental Attitude Award winner.
Make sure you check out the two video players in this article as well as the video tab in the upper left hand corner of this story for game highlights of the championship match plus interviews from Dorton, Delta freshman setter Morgan Bergren, and Delta coach Heidi Zickgraf!
All
in all, that is a day full of scrapbook material for the Eagles. I am guessing
that in the years to come, however, it will be the way they captured this title
that will occupy their memories. That is fitting because the day was a battle
to remember.
This
story actually starts at the legendary Muncie Fieldhouse, site of the 3A
semifinals Saturday morning. The tussle between Delta and No. 6 Brebeuf was
seen in the week leading up to the tournament as the marquee matchup of all the
morning semis in any class. It turned out to be just that.
Delta
won the first two games of the match in typical Eagle fashion. They frustrated
Brebeuf’s big hitters, sophomores Jeme Obeime and Sloane White, with a variety
of blocking techniques while relying on the powerful right arm of Dorton and
the setting of unflappable freshman Morgan Bergren to do the offensive damage.
The
combination was just enough to hold the Braves at bay, 27-25 and 25-23.
The
two-game deficit, however, was not enough to take the fight out of coach Brian
Murray’s Brebeuf troops. They had been in this position before, all the way
back in the sectional semifinals against No. 9 Roncalli. The Braves have earned
a reputation as a team that never quits, and the certainly didn’t on this day.
As
Game 3 unfolded, Brebeuf found an offensive force in 6-foot junior Cali Estes. Her
solid play at the net took some of the pressure off Obeime and White and gave
the Braves some momentum. At the same time, the Eagles suddenly found
themselves incapable of scoring on their own serve.
By
the time Delta scored a single point off its service, the Eagles were already
trailing 19-11. They rallied but fell short, 25-21.
Brebeuf
then quickly showed why you can never give a quality team even an ounce of
hope. Obeime and White began to come to life, and the Braves dominated the
fourth game. Delta was never in contention and lost decisively, 25-15.
By
now, most of the impartial observers on hand thought Brebeuf had pulled off
another Houdini act. And the reeling Eagles seemed to have no answers as the
fifth game began.
Well,
they had one.
Delta
played absolutely flawless back-line defense through the early stages of that
final battle, taking a 9-4 lead. The momentum totally shifted in the span of
less than five minutes. Brebeuf called a timeout to stem the tide, but it was
too late.
Delta
surged to a 15-6 victory, culminating the comeback with a Dorton blast on the
final point that had to violate some sort of nuclear arms treaty. It was the
last of her 27 kills of the match.
Mishawaka
Marian waited in the championship game, and coach Dan Anderson had a specific
plan for attacking the Eagles: Marian spent the match serving directly at
Dorton in an effort to throw off Delta’s rhythm.
That
maneuver, combined with the Knights’ talented front line, caused Delta problems
for long stretches of the 3A title match. But Dorton proved a better defensive
player than Mishawaka Marian had hoped. Her receiving of serve was excellent
throughout, and the Eagles kept on rolling to claim the first game, 25-21.
The
key points in this match were two five-point runs by Delta in Game 2. They led
to the Eagles’ 25-18 victory that brought the inevitable championship into
clear view.
During
both of those runs, Dorton was serving! Points in that scenario are supposed to
be a bonus for Delta – that is a long
way from the net where Dorton normally rules. In this instance, the rest of the
Eagles saw to it that having Dorton in the back line would not be a hindrance.
Their
play during those stretches was remarkable, and it broke the backs of the
Knights. Delta won Game 2 by a 25-18 score and was never really threatened in
winning the finale, 25-19.
On
this memorable day, the Eagles came back from the brink of extinction to make
the title match. They then overcame a well-executed game plan from a quality
opponent in the finals. At some points during the journey they were led by
their star, and at other junctures their star was carried by her mates.
Dorton’s
garnering of the Mental Attitude Award capped the perfect day for the ultimate
“team.”
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