Greater Thumb West Play Kicks Off in Upset!

Jamison Kruse September 14, 2022 @ 12:33 PM

Down goes No. 6 in Division 3!   Nothing quite gets the season started off better than a good ole fashion upset. Bad Axe traveled to No. 6 Cass City last Thursday and brought it to the Hawks in epic fashion. Going the distance, Cass City was not going down without a fight, but Bad Axe proved that they remain a viable option as a Greater Thumb West Conference favorite.   The story of the match remained along the net. As [player_tooltip player_id='156307' first='Shelby' last='Ignash'], the juggernaut middle blocker for the Red Hawks, continues to grow and thrive, she may have met her match on Thursday. Across the net saw Ignash paired up against [player_tooltip player_id='172192' first='Katherine' last='Himmel'], a name that, after Thursday nights' performance, demands more recognition. Between the two middle blockers, they accumulated close to 40 kills and 20 blocks within the five-set thriller.   The match was a back and forth brawl, as Cass City would take the first and third sets pretty convincingly, but yet the Hatchets would take the second and fourth sets in similar fashion. But going into the fifth, the Hatchets had all the momentum in the world on their side coming off of a 25-16 fourth set and would take the match without a doubt at a score of 15-11.   When looking at the game from a statistical view, Cass City was definitely the favorites, as the Hawks out-dug the Hatchets and seemingly had the advantage offensively. Ignash totaled a whopping 25 kills on the night, with her killer counterpart, [player_tooltip player_id='172195' first='Kacee' last='Gray'] going big for 16 kills and 17 digs.   The difference maker in the match was the blocking presence of Himmel. Himmel was good for 12 kills on the match, but her 13 blocks was out-of-this-world! The constant defensive pressure Himmel was able to place upon the Hawks at the net was more than they could handle. To back her up too, Bad Axe Libero Hanna Rapson had 20 digs in the contest. As much as this match was the tale of the happenings at the net, the back court play had a huge hand in the outcome.   This match creates a very fun storyline to follow this season. As Cass City is not only a heavy favorite to win the Greater Thumb West title, they were also the favorites to see in Kellogg Arena come November. Bad Axe has just made things a whole lot different. The Hatchets have entered the chat as a real power player in not only league play but a deterrent in the post-season for the Hawks.

Down goes No. 6 in Division 3!