Every week ESPN RISE Volleyball will voice high school bloggers from across the nation. This week we would like to introduce junior outside hitter Noelle Gipson of FAB 50 No. 24 Elkhart Memorial of Elkhart, Indiana.

My name is Noelle Gipson. I am currently a junior at Elkhart Memorial (Ind.) High where I play volleyball and run track, as well as many other things. I would like to share with you my volleyball experiences. They are action filled, sometimes tense, but always a GREAT time.

	Courtesy Gipson Family
	Noelle Gipson of Elkhart Memorial

For the last couple of years, winning sectionals and competing at regionals were no brainers for our varsity team. We never underestimated teams because everyone seems to play up when they play us. On October 24^th, I don't think we under estimated Warsaw, [Warsaw Community High School, Warsaw, Indiana] but boy did we not expect them to push us to the edge!

"Hey, we kind of knew that they could take a set from us,” Coach Rost remarked after losing the first set 25-20. What we didn't know or expect was that the Lady Tigers would take TWO consecutive sets from us.

Something just wasn't clicking with our team at the start of the match and everything was going well for Warsaw. Its players were excited and its crowd went wild after every play made. For the Crimson Chargers, on the other hand, tension was rising! We knew that going home losers was not an option. With nothing left but to play how we knew we could, we slowly came together.

I guess you can say we slowly started to spin our flywheel. Once we started spinning, there was no stopping.            

Gradually, we increased our play and played like we deserved to be number one in the state. Warsaw did not roll over easily, they still contended. The drive and passion in our hearts was just too much for the Lady Tigers to handle.

A big key in our win was serving; a long rally of three or more serves "a snow cone” as we call it at Memorial. But our front row play was equally good, the last three sets we finally put the ball in open areas on the court, which were open all day. Our defense always had someone coming from nowhere and dug tons of  balls!! The score was…23-25, 22-25, 25-19, 25-20, 15-10

Yes, we did it! But we still had championship round six hours later!!

Championship Round: Elkhart Memorial vs. Elkhart Central. Can you say cross-town rivalry?

Central improved a great deal this year with a few minor adjustments in the back row, and where we would set up a block against their BTP, (big time player) lefty hitter. It was complete domination. We took our cross-town rivals in three 25-20, 25-13, 25-11. Elkhart Memorial Crimson Chargers again victorious. For the third consecutive year we were Sectional Champs!!

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