In women’s intramural volleyball action Saturday, the unbeaten Theta Delta Omicron Tigers faced the Tau Delta Chi Kangaroos, looking to further their dominance before the start of playoffs.
The Tigers looked strong with a 4-1 lead early in the first set after senior Leah Forsythe began with a spike. The Kangas, missing some key players, were disadvantaged at the net, making it hard to contest the Tigers’ front-row presence. Both teams then exchanged points before Forsythe served back-to-back aces. Shortly thereafter, the Kangas fell victim to a block by Rebecca Bredehoft, extending the Tiger lead to 13-5.
There were numerous errors on both sides throughout the rest of the set, including botched serves, failed sets and several hits falling out of bounds. Forsythe did contribute two kills and two assists, leading the Tigers to finish the set 25-15.
Forsythe’s serving got the Tigers off to a 5-0 start in the second set before the Kangas called a timeout. The timeout seemed to help as the Kangas made better judgment calls, improved their serves, and set up teammates well for the remainder of the set. Kanga junior Molly Davis then carried them within one point after a perfect serve.
That serve, combined with several Tiger errors, contributed to the Kanga comeback effort as they went on to tie the game 12-12. The Tigers quickly recaptured their lead, however, after a spike from junior Becca Bredehoft went unreturned. The Tigers then made several good plays but failed to regain momentum, forfeiting several scoring opportunities to the Kangas after penalties, including four net violations.
With the score 20-15, the Kangas needed a big boost that would never come. The Tigers’ dominant serving granted them the second set with a score of 25-16, winning the match two sets to none.
The victory pushed the Tigers to 6-0, while dropping the Kangas to 4-3. The Flames and Tigers remain the only undefeated teams in the American League, while the Classics are close behind at 5-1, losing only to the Tigers. The Kangas, Wildcats and Seagulls are now left to fight for the fourth playoff slot before the regular season ends.