The Ansbach Cougars defeated the Hohenfels Tigers in their final match of the day in Ansbach on Oct. 26, 2024. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
ANSBACH, Germany – Two-time DODEA-Europe Division III girls volleyball champion Ansbach hosted two small-school rivals Saturday in the three teams’ final matches before next week’s season-ending championships.
The Cougars didn’t show any signs they won’t be competing for a third title with a 25-5, 25-8, 25-12 victory over Baumholder and a 25-12, 25-8, 25-6 win over Hohenfels.
To kick off the day, the Buccaneers faced up against the reigning champs, looking to improve on a loss to Ansbach the previous week.
Unfortunately, that was a tough task against the Cougars.
“Our goal is consistency,” said Kennedy Lange, an Ansbach junior and the reigning Stars and Stripes girls volleyball Athlete of the Year. “In the past years we would have peaks and valleys. Our goal is to stay constant throughout the whole game, and I feel like we really started to show that.”
The Bucs didn’t give up, though, and the second and third sets were more competitive.
“We’ve been working on ‘the play is not over until the whistle blows,’” said Bucs coach Jenny Rajkovacz. “I’ve seen that improvement in a few of the plays today where in the past they would just stop because they thought it would be over.”
In the end, though, the Cougars were just too much.
“Two-year championship (winners are) definitely hard to beat,” Baumholder sophomore Olivia Lepkowski said. “This year and this week we came back stronger than last week and last year.”
Natalie Ritter, a senior at Ansbach, serves the ball to the Hohenfels Tigers in their second game of the day during a match at Ansbach on Oct. 26, 2024. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
Brianna Whitmore of the Baumholder Buccaneers attempts to block an attack from the Tigers during a match in Ansbach on Oct. 26, 2024. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
The Hohenfels Tigers huddle to motivate each other during a volleyball match against the Baumholder Buccaneers in Ansbach on Oct. 26, 2024. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
The Baumholder Buccaneers celebrate their victory over the Hohenfels Tigers after a match in Ansbach on Oct. 26, 2024. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
Keaira Satchel of the Hohenfels Tigers serves the ball in a match against the Baumholder Buccaneers in Ansbach on Oct. 26, 2024. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
Genesis Levinthol-Winkler, a senior with the Hohenfels Tigers, makes an impressive save during a volleyball match against the Ansbach Cougars on Oct. 26, 2024. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
Hohenfels Tigers teammates encourage each other in a tough match up against reigning champs, the Ansbach Cougars, during a volleyball match in Ansbach on Oct. 26, 2024. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
The Ansbach Cougars volleyball team celebrates a victory over the Hohenfels Tigers in Ansbach on Oct. 26, 2024. The Cougars are two-time defending champs in Division III and are anticipating some tough competition at the European championships next week. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
And Lepkowski and her teammates did indeed bounce back in their second match of the day, defeating Hohenfels 25-9, 21-25, 25-20, 25-21.
Baumholder stayed true to its word, applying lessons learned from the previous match in the first set. The Tigers did not take the set loss lightly, though. They roared back, matching the Bucs point for point in the second set. Halfway through the set, the Tigers’ Makenzie Clark came through for her team with a slew of aces that gave the Tigers a leg up and ultimately a set victory.
Baumholder bounced back to win the last two sets, though.
“They have a very quick game that we’re not used to…so, it takes a little bit to get our momentum, but we can compete,” Tigers senior Kariana Jones said of playing against Baumholder.
“It’s very scrappy,” Tigers senior Brynn Ropelewsi said of the Bucs’ playing style. “It’s not the traditional pass-set-hit of volleyball. It’s more of an ‘all right, here’s a random tip and I hope you can pass it.’”
That left the final match of the day between the Tigers and Cougars.
“Hohenfels is always a rival game for us,” Ansbach coach Deb Keller-Mitchell said. “They’re going to bring their best and we need to play our game.”
Ansbach’s sole senior, Natalie Ritter, was a star on the court, bringing an electric energy that her teammates could only emulate as Ansbach was never really threatened in any of the three sets.
“I like playing Hohenfels. It’s exciting to see how they’ve improved throughout the season too,” Ritter said.
Despite the Tigers’ two losses, they finished the day with high hopes in anticipation of the championships next week.
“It’s easy when you’re losing to want to give up, but you hear our coach keep saying, ‘you have to pull yourself together. This is where you have your grit,’” Jones said. “Even though the score kept being the same, we always left a smile on our faces and just keep trying for the next set.”
