The Hitchcock-Tulare Patriots faced a busy stretch on the volleyball court, dropping a five-set battle to Ipswich on Thursday before earning fourth place at Saturday’s Miller Tournament. The Patriots went 2-3 over the five matches, bringing their season record to 14-13 and moving into fourth position in Region 1.
The Patriots opened the stretch by hosting the Ipswich Tigers in a match that went back and forth throughout the night. Hitchcock-Tulare claimed the opening set 28-26 and held a seven-point lead late in set two before a strong serving run helped Ipswich rally for a 25-22 win.
The Patriots responded with a 25-23 victory in the third set, but an early deficit in set four proved too much to overcome as the Tigers won 25-18. That sent Hitchcock-Tulare into its second five-set match in three days. The teams stayed neck and neck in the deciding set, but a few costly Patriot errors helped Ipswich secure a 15-12 victory and the match, 3-2.
Emmerie Arthurs turned in a standout performance with 23 kills, 28 digs and one block assist. Keilee Schone and Paige McNeely each added 10 kills and three aces. Olivia Knox collected 29 digs, while Brynn Binger distributed 28 assists. Laina Puffer added 23 assists and 10 digs, and Rylee Knock recorded five block assists.
On Saturday, the Patriots traveled to Miller for four tournament matches, beginning with the host Rustlers. Hitchcock-Tulare struggled to establish a rhythm as Miller earned a 25-13, 25-14 sweep. Tess Bixler led the Patriots with four kills. Puffer finished with six assists, Binger added five assists, and Knox recorded six digs.
The Patriots bounced back against the Philip Scotties, using aggressive serving and hitting to earn a 25-10, 25-14 victory. Schone led the offense with seven kills, while Arthurs, Binger and Knox each served two aces. Binger tallied eight assists, Puffer contributed seven assists, and Knox led the defense with seven digs.
Hitchcock-Tulare closed pool play with its strongest match of the day, rallying past the Groton Tigers in three sets. Groton’s powerful hitting, combined with Patriot errors, gave the Tigers a 25-16 win in the opener.
The Patriots answered with strong serving and sustained scoring runs in set two, building a commanding lead on their way to a 25-13 victory. In the deciding set, Hitchcock-Tulare fell behind early but steadily chipped away at the deficit before completing the comeback with a 25-20 win.
Arthurs powered the Patriots with 12 kills and 18 digs, while Schone added eight kills and two block assists. Binger contributed 12 assists, 11 digs and three aces. Puffer finished with six assists, and Knox collected 10 digs.
The victory sent Hitchcock-Tulare into the third-place match against the Castlewood Warriors. With the Patriots running low on energy, Castlewood’s powerful attack helped the Warriors claim a 25-18, 25-20 sweep, leaving Hitchcock-Tulare in fourth place.
Schone paced the Patriots with eight kills. Knox recorded 15 digs and the team’s lone ace, while Binger finished with nine assists and Puffer added five. Schone, Knock, Puffer and Bixler each recorded a block assist.
The Patriots will return to action in Woonsocket against the Sanborn Central-Woonsocket Blackhawks in a 281 Conference matchup. Junior high play begins at 4:30 p.m., with junior varsity expected to start around 6:30 p.m. and varsity to follow.