‘We started them when they were in kindergarten, and they’re mine too:’ Culver’s 23 aces lead to senior night win over LaVille

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Livi Overmyer Ashley Pugh Brynn Berndt Tyra King Meridith Gordon

CULVER — Livi Overmyer is first in the serving order for the Culver volleyball team, and on senior night at John R. Nelson Gymnasium Wednesday, she showed why she is No. 1, burying the Lady Lancers with a 17-point service run to start the match that eventually led to a 25-2, 25-10, 25-3 win.

Culver compiled 23 aces, and 18 of them came from seniors Overmyer, Brynn Berndt and Ashley Pugh.

Overmyer had a team-high nine aces and a team-high nine digs.

Berndt also decimated LaVille’s defense with 18 kills while making just two hitting errors. That came one night after a 31-kill, 20-dig night in a five-set win over Elkhart Christian.

Pugh added 21 assists. Freshman libero Ashlynn Berndt had four aces and three digs.

But it was Overmyer who made the opening statement. She had five aces when LaVille called timeout trailing 17-0. Overmyer continued to blister serves to the LaVille back row that got shanked back.

She said she was moved to No. 1 in the serving rotation “a couple weeks ago.”

“Honestly, I’m always pretty nervous to get behind the line,” Overmyer said. “We changed our rotation, so … I’m not used to serving first, but it was a good experience tonight. … It’s pretty new to me, but I enjoy that.”

Overmyer was asked if she was aiming for a particular player on LaVille or a spot on the court.

“I try to hit seams as much as I can, because that kind of gets two players across and just gives me the best advantage,” Overmyer said.

Culver coach Andrea Berndt said that Overmyer is nearing the career school record for aces.

“She’s a got a powerful serve, very beneficial to us,” coach Berndt said.

Coach Berndt was asked about Overmyer’s serving philosophy.

“We don’t call numbers for our girls,” she said. “We talk a lot about who to serve and the strategy behind who to serve. Where to serve? We like certain zones in certain places. We like certain seams, and they know that. They have other things to look for as well, so it’s a little bit of both.”

Berndt, Overmyer, Pugh, Tyra King, Meredith Gordon and foreign exchange student Lisa Krmek were the seniors honored in prematch ceremonies. Managers Gyanna Lewis, Laynie Haws and Ivon Torres-Escobar were also recognized.

The team did not arrive back home from Elkhart Christian until past 11 p.m. Tuesday. However, this match was barely longer than the senior night ceremonies. Coach Berndt said the team was “jacked.”

“Normally our start is where we struggle, but yeah, that definitely pumped us up,” Brynn Berndt said.

Ashlynn Berndt had four aces in a five-point span as Culver jumped out to a 9-1 lead in Game 2. After LaVille got within 11-5, Pugh spearheaded a 7-0 run behind the line.

A Brynn Berndt kill, a LaVille net violation and a King kill closed out the set.

Another Overmyer serving run led to an 11-0 start in Game 3.

At 16-3, the match ended with the following: Brynn Berndt kill, Brynn Berndt ace, Brynn Berndt ace, Brynn Berndt service winner, LaVille kill error, Brynn Berndt ace, Brynn Berndt ace, Brynn Berndt ace, Brynn Berndt ace.

Culver improved to 21-5. They have won eight in a row since a loss to Pioneer on Sept. 17.

LaVille fell to 5-16.

“I was excited for our senior night,” Overmyer said. “All of our family and our friends came out to support us. … Actually, my sister showed up tonight. She’s from Indy. I had no idea she was going to be here. It was awesome just to see everyone’s faces that all support us in a small community like this.”

Andrea Berndt was introduced before the match as both Culver’s coach and Brynn’s mother. This was the final regular season home match – Culver will also host Class 1A, Sectional 51 beginning Oct. 15 – for this group of seniors, and coach Berndt appreciates what they all have brought to the program.

“It’s funny, I had a couple text messages through the day asking the same thing as a mom,” coach Berndt said. “I’ve tried to enjoy it. I can’t say that I always enjoy it because I’m always looking at the game. And I have eight seniors. I have my own personal senior, but I have eight seniors that I’m mom to as well. So it’s hard to enjoy my own child, but that’s OK. That is a choice I’ve made, and that is an OK choice. … We’ve grown up with them. These girls are seniors. We started them when they were in kindergarten, and they’re mine too.”

Culver is in a Class 1A sectional with South Central (Union Mills), who won a Class 2A sectional last year and who handed Culver their only home loss on Aug. 26. South Central has also lost to fellow sectional rival Triton while Culver split their two matches with Triton.

The win came in the final of the Triton Invitational on Sept. 14.

There is also a potential contender in Elkhart Christian, who has both a win over Triton and the aforementioned loss to Culver.

The sectional draw is Sunday, and the sectional starts at Culver on Oct. 15. Brynn Berndt said she thinks about sectionals “all the time.” Culver has not won a volleyball sectional since 2011.

“We hit the midseason slump in the beginning,” Brynn Berndt explained. “So I’m kind of grateful for that because Triton (Invitational), that’s where we turned, and now sectional’s coming up, and we’re at our best, I think, right now, and we’re playing really well. “I honestly do think we can win the sectional, yes.”

Culver def. LaVille, 25-2, 25-10, 25-3

CULVER STATS

Ashley Pugh – 1 kill, 2 aces, 21 assists, 2 digs; Ashlynn Berndt – 4 aces, 1 assist, 3 digs; Brynn Berndt – 18 kills, 9 aces, 2 digs; Gracie MIlam – 7 digs; Hayden Lute – 1 kill, 2 blocks; Haylie Parker – 1 ace, 2 digs; Livi Overmyer – 2 kills, 7 aces, 9 digs; Meredith Gordon – 1 kill; Tyra King – 2 kills