Senior setter Monroe Olsen had a little more pep in her step and the smile that her Valparaiso teammates are accustomed to seeing.
The Notre Dame recruit produced 29 assists, 12 digs and four kills Thursday night as the Vikings swept Lake Central for a 25-10, 25-19, 25-21 Duneland Athletic Conference victory.
Olsen, who celebrated two straight DAC titles the past two seasons as Valparaiso went 27-1, isn’t used to losing.
The win for the Vikings (11-4, 5-2) was a huge step back in the right direction after back-to-back conference losses the previous week against Crown Point and LaPorte.
“This was definitely needed,” Olsen said. “Last week was rough so coming out and being able to put it away in three should help boost our confidence.
“I think our confidence fell apart at the end of those two games but we stepped it up and we are working better and the chemistry is getting there.”
Rachel Bontrager had her usual solid night with 10 kills and eight digs, while Trinity Brown stepped up with a match-high 13 kills. Junior libero Emma Terwilliger added a team-high 15 digs and four aces.
“Trinity Brown really did well on the outside — she had some good swings out there,” Olsen said. “And Emma has always been a good back-row player. She gets the balls up we need to get the offense started.”
Valparaiso coach Katie Lenard reiterated Olsen’s comments on the team’s need for a better week in the DAC.
“This was very much needed,” she said. “We had a down spiral there for a little bit but this was good. We stayed confident and played our game the entire time.”
Lake Central coach Tina Tinberg knows what the Vikings went through last week. After a strong start, the Indians (10-8, 3-4) have dropped back-to-back DAC matches to LaPorte and Valpo this week.
The Indians graduated eight seniors from last year’s sectional championship team, so she knows there’s going to be bumps and bruises along the way.
“We’re inconsistent and we can’t execute at a high level and sustain from start to finish,” Tinberg said. “We showed some tough play and we took care of the ball at times, but we didn’t do enough to win the match.”
Linda Morton led the Indians with 12 kills, while Lauren Sterns had 10 digs.
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“Linda did a really nice job offensively,” Tinberg said. “And Lauren Sterns played with a lot of heart.”
Ryan Haskell is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.