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"Today I think we just really came out strong and knew what we had to do," Heim said. "We really just got our act together. I think everybody just had fun. That was the main thing. We were just having fun. Our confidence is back, too."
Bruns said a key was getting positive contributions from everyone.
"Everyone who came off the bench did a great job," Bruns said. "Our starters did a great job. I didn't have one person on the bench I didn't feel comfortable with in the lineup. Everyone pulled their weight. I felt this was definitely a team win this time. This is the team I expect to see on the court every time."
East Central opened with a 25-13, 20-25, 25-20, 25-16 win over the William Woods JV team.
The Lady Falcons hit .357 as a team in the first game and .474 in the fourth game. During the two middle games, the team struggled at the net, but still managed to threaten in the second game and win the third.
East Central had a number of standouts in the match.
Sophomore middle hitter Nicole Mannino (Incarnate Word Academy) received the top grade for the match at 17.5 offensive points with 11 kills, one set assist, four service aces, four digs, one solo block and one block assist. She hit at a .500 rate.
"Nicole had an incredible tournament out in the middle," said Bruns.
Heim led the team with 13 kills. She added one set assist, one service ace, five digs and one block assist. She hit at a .435 rate in the match.
"Stephanie almost played like she was possessed," Bruns said. "She just looked so confident. This is the first time this season I've really seen her settle down and look natural. She did a fantastic job."
Sophomore outside hitter-setter Julie Ohlms (Lutheran St. Charles, State Fair Community College) had nine kills to go with two set assists, two service aces, seven digs and one block assist.
"Julie played great," Bruns said.
Freshman Kasey Kirchhofer (Hermann) ran the offense while posting another double-double with 36 set assists and 12 digs to go with four kills and one block assist.
Freshman Samantha Walch (Warrenton) had one of her best matches of the year with four kills, two service aces, four digs and one block assist.
Freshman Natalie Davis (Lafayette) chipped in with five kills and one block assist.
Freshman libero Kara Bowman (St. Dominic) led the team with 22 digs and added one kill and three service aces.
Freshman Kory O'Laughlin (Winfield) posted a service ace. Freshman Kelli Sans Souci (Bourbon) came up with three digs.
Turning right around, the Lady Falcons carried their momentum to a sweep of the Central Methodist JV team, 25-13, 25-9, 25-11. It was the first time the Lady Falcons swept an opponent this season.
The Lady Falcons hit .386 for the match with 43 kills and 11 errors on 83 attempts.
Heim led the way with 14 kills and a torrid .591 attack rate. She added a set assist, three service aces and seven digs.
"I couldn't have done it without the team," Heim said. "They really had my back the whole time. We really grew as a team this week. It is fun to watch this team grow."
Bruns said Heim had a great day.
Mannino continued her tremendous day with a .692 attack percentage on nine kills and no errors on 13 attempts. She had four service aces, six digs and one block assist as well.
Kirchhofer hit double digits again with 34 assists and 15 digs. She hammered two kills and added a block assist.
Davis pounded down eight kills at a .333 success rate. She also had one dig and one block assist.
Ohlms continued her strong play with five kills, one set assist, one service ace and nine digs.
Sans Souci took advantage of earning extended playing time to rip four kills. She added a service ace and five digs.
Bowman led the team in digs with 19 and added one kill and two service aces. O'Laughlin played for the second time this season and contributed a block assist.
Also playing, but not recording any statistics was Walch.
The Lady Falcons were shorthanded in the matches. Three players were suspended due to violations of team policy. All three were at the tournament and encouraged their teammates from the sidelines.
