AKRON – In a defensive power struggle, it was a burst of offense that made the difference in a wild matchup of backyard rivals. In a contest that could have gone either way, Tippecanoe Valley senior Lexi O’Connell made sure her team would come out on top with some inspired play in a 3-1 volleyball win over Triton Thursday night.

Tippecanoe Valley looked the part in game one, rolling to a 25-18 final. But, the signs were there Triton was capable of making a run as the visitors scored five of the last six points in the game. That characteristic would show up in game two.

Triton led in game two 21-15, only to see Valley, behind the power of O’Connell at the net, bring the score even at 21-21. Two Valley errors, however, gave Triton the advantage and a 25-23 win, setting up a wild final two games.

“We just came off a pretty tough loss (Tuesday against North Judson),” stated Triton head coach Samantha Willsey. “I was glad that they came in, played hard through every single point. That was probably the best defense we played all year, for sure.”

Valley held onto a 21-18 lead in game three, but a pair of kills from Nicole Sechrist had Triton rally to take a 24-22 lead. Valley would fight back, however, and O’Connell nailed a winner to put Valley at game point at 25-24, closing out on a Triton kill error for a 26-24 third game.

An 8-0 run by Valley in the fourth game had a four-point Triton lead evaporate and turn into a four-point Valley advantage at 17-13. Mixed into the mania were a pair of huge kills from O’Connell, and the senior wasn’t done. Triton grabbed a 25-24 lead after Valley sent an attack out of bounds, but O’Connell went to work and smashed kills No. 23 and 24, the final resounding hammer ending a 28-26 thumper that left quite an impression on her coach.

“It’s confidence,” said Valley head coach Mallory Eaton. “When we trust in our abilities and relax, and when they think they can get the kill, they get the kill. It’s just getting themselves in the right position. If they put the work in before, they’ll get the results they want.

“Lexi has been fun,” continued Eaton. “She has all the athletic ability, it’s just putting all the pieces together. She just finally said I’m going to do this for my team. Lexi is more of a workhorse. I think she just wants to work hard and let everyone else get the glory. It’s OK to get the success, because she is doing it for the team.”

O’Connell also had a pair of blocks and played solid defensively. Abby Betten also was a force at the net for Valley, notably in the first game as Betten took advantage of Triton’s inability to provide a block cross court. Betten did the work on the backside cover, digging 13 attempts to lead the club. Emily Peterson recorded 18 assists in the win.

Defensively, Triton played its finest game to date, and the numbers showed. Libero Quinn Downing was under attack all night, but managed 23 digs. Sechrist had 15 digs, Jaela Meister came up with 14 digs and Hannah Wanemacher pulled up 12 attempts. Wanemacher also recorded 18 assists and the attacking duo of Meister and Sechrist combined for 28 kills.

“That’s the best our defense has been,” said Willsey. “We have a very small block and we have to rely on our diggers. Quinn had a fantastic game, just fantastic.”

Valley, however, keyed on the two Triton hitters, forcing anyone else to take a swing. Triton’s inability to generate offense from the remainder – only recording three kills from the remainder – was paramount for Valley.

Tippecanoe Valley opened the night with a thrilling 23-25, 25-18, 15-8 win in the JV game.

Triton (4-6 overall) will host four teams Saturday in a round robin home invitational. The Lady Trojans will play Argos, Culver, John Glenn and LaVille in succession. Tippecanoe Valley (10-5 overall) will host Columbia City Monday evening.