UNION CITY – The Mississinawa Valley Lady Blackhawks hosted the 2025 Blackhawk Volleyball Invite with Ansonia, Springfield, and Union City (IN) joining the Lady Hawks in tournament action.
The Lady Blackhawks earned the tournament trophy with an overall 6-2 record, winning the event on total points, while the Ansonia Lady Tigers placed second with a 5-2 record. Springfield took third with a 3-4 record, and Union City finished 0-6 on the day.
“We are always happy when we can win our own Invite,” said Mississinawa Valley coach Tayor Rawlings.
In the deciding match of the day, Ansonia bolted out to a double-digit 18-8 lead, bringing a timeout from the Mississinawa bench. The Lady Tigers held on for a 25-22 win and lead 1-0.
The Lady Hawks jumped out to 9-1 and 23-10 second-set leads on their way to a match-tying 25-11 win.
Set three had MV taking an early 8-3 advantage with Ansonia using a 13-12 run to trail by four at 20-16. The teams played even to close out the set with a Mississinawa Valley 25-21 win and take the set 2-1.
“We had a slower second game, and we just reiterated that and played super slow coming out,” Coach Rawlings said of the 3-set match with Ansonia. “We played really well in that second set and kept fighting in the third. My girls can get it when needed, that’s that varsity experience. I have five varsity returners, so they want it, and they want to play well when they need to.”
In the WOAC standings, Mississinawa Valley has a 3-0 conference mark, and Ansonia stands at 2-1, with the two teams headed for a league matchup on Thursday, September 25, to be played at MV.
“It gives us some confidence in the conference,” said Coach Rawlings. “However, we know Ansonia is still going to be a tough game for us. We saw that today. They have some fight and they have some scrappiness to them.”
Blackhawk Invite results:
Mississinawa Valley Lady Blackhawks defeated Springfield in three sets, 25-22, 17-25, and 25-22, downed Union City 25-4 and 25-3, and took Ansonia in three, 22-25, 25-11, and 25-21.
Ansonia Lady Tigers defeated Union City 25-13 and 25-9, won over Springfield 26-24 and 25-21, and lost to Mississinawa Valley in three sets, 22-25, 25-11, and 25-21.
Springfield Lady Wildcats defeated the Union City Lady Indians 25-15 and 25-8, lost to Ansonia Lady Tigers 26-24 and 25-21, and lost in three sets to Mississinawa Valley 25-22, 22-25, and 25-22.
Union City Lady Indians lost to Springfield 25-15 and 25-8, fell to Ansonia 25-13 and 25-9, and lost to Mississinawa Valley 25-4 and 25-3.
