Coming into the 2023 Delaware County Tournament, the Yorktown Tigers were tied with the Wapahani Raiders for the most county titles (16).
That changed in last night’s championship match as the Tigers won their tenth straight Delaware County Championship, giving them the sole lead (17).
“It's just really cool to see my name up there with everyone who's gone before us,” junior outside hitter Charlotte Vinson said.
The semi-final results
The semi-finals saw two games that mirrored one another. The first game was Wes-Del vs. Daleville. It did not take long for the Warriors to find the success that they have had all season, winning the match 3-0.
About twenty minutes later, the second game between Yorktown and Wapahani started and it followed the same rubric. The Tigers also defeated their opponent 3-0, giving them the berth to dance with the Warriors in the championship game.
The finale
Unlike the first sets from the matches earlier in the day, the Tigers and Warriors traded blows within the first few minutes. That was until Yorktown pulled away and won the set 25-14.
The Yorktown dominance would slow down for the start of the second set as the Warriors fought back and forced an 8-8 tie. However, Yorktown would once again make a late run to win the set 25-18.
“I think it speaks of their focus,” Yorktown head coach Stephanie Bloom said. “[It also says a lot about] our training and just the mentality that we had coming in and what we thought we were capable of trying to claim that level.”
Facing elimination, the Warriors did not hold back. They had many scoring runs in the third set, but the Tigers once again proved to be too much, winning the final set to take the trophy.
“We really work hard no matter who's on the other side,” Yorktown senior Kynnadi Bell said. “Credit to Wes-Del for competing with us because they did a really good job.”
One year removed from falling in the 4A State Championship game at Worthen Arena, the Tigers have used that moment for extra motivation. Though Bell believes that the team is solely focused on the future.
“We're just getting ready,” she said. “We put that in the past and we just try to use motivation to work on the next game, next ball, next everything.”
While the Tigers have had accomplishments like winning the Hoosier-Heritage Conference and the county tournament, there is still more to be done.
“We talked about how you can't win championships until you're in championship matches and every opportunity you get for a championship match is a chance to work on your mental side,” she said. “I think this was one of our three biggest goals and it's a big deal.”
Even with being the team to keep the streak alive and giving their school the most tournament wins in county history, the Tigers think that they can still improve.
“Going forward, it's always about getting better,” Vinson said. “We can improve and we can work on things like being a team. While we’re already a team, we can improve to get on pace of where we want to be.”
Contact Zach Carter with comments at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or on X@ZachCarter85.
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