Western Boone Jr. - Sr. High School

DOVER - While they started 2-0 on the season, the Western Boone volleyball team wasn't really tested in the opening week. That all changed Saturday, but the Stars were up to the task. Western Boone won its own Invite on Saturday afternoon, topping Heritage Christian, Hamilton Heights and Mount Vernon to win the title. "I am so proud of our girls," Western Boone head coach Laura Bragg said. "Our first two matches weren't the toughest, so it can be really hard to flip that switch and be ready to face teams that are amazing both offensively and defensively. These teams today, they don't really have a weakness, so we had to take care of our serve receive and stay in system - and we did that." Coming into the day, Western Boone had only allowed an average of 11.6 points per set, cruising to three-set wins over Monrovia and North Putnam. Saturday, the Stars started with a 25-21, 25-14 win over Heritage Christian, then topped Hamilton Heights 26-24, 28-26. In the final match, WeBo topped Mount Vernon 26-24, 25-22. The last two matches especially, the Stars had to focus in on every point to be successful. "I knew we had potential, and right now it is all potential because you don't know if you will achieve it," Bragg said. "But we really achieved our potential this weekend. We were down 24-21 in one of the sets against Hamilton Heights and came back to win. It took a total team effort and we showed the character we need to be successful." Raegan Durbin had 41 kills over the course of the day, with Sadie Poeck having 27. Emmerson Gott had 10. Janie Ransom had 75 assists. Olivia Smith had 25 digs, Poeck had 16, Izzy Adams had 13 and Durbin had 12. Gott had four blocks. "We need all our girls and we had a lot of girls step up," Bragg said. "Emmerson had some big kills, especially in the Hamilton Heights match. I was proud of Alyssa Witte too, she doesn't get all the kills, but she gets a lot of little touches that make a difference." The Stars host Zionsville on Tuesday evening. Bragg said it will be another good test that will be good preparation for the end of the season. "It's going to be a fun night," Bragg said. "It's our youth night and a sponsor night, so we are hoping to have a packed crowd. I'm really glad we had these matches this weekend, because it's going to help us get ready for Zionsville. We wouldn't have been as prepared without being tested." Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on Twitter @Will_Willems.