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  • Knights Take on Lancers, in a Cross County Rivalry Match.

    Players from the Crestview Knights and Lincolnview Lancers shake hands at the net after a volleyball match, showcasing sportsmanship in a gym filled with spectators.

    Nothing like a good rivalry game, on a warm Tuesday afternoon, to get the blood flowing.

    That’s exactly what we saw in as the Lincolnview Lancers made the trip across Van Wert County, to take on the Crestview Knights.

    The Lancers were coming off back-to-back losses, and the Knights had won two straight matches.

    Lincolnview opened the scoring, before going down 13-8 and calling a timeout. The Lancers then won a long rally to make it a 15-13 game. The Lancers and Knights traded timeouts at 16-15, and 20-18. The girls would trade points and rallies back and forth, before the Knights finally put them away, winning a hard fought first set, 28-26.

    A packed gymnasium filled with fans watching a volleyball match, with a player preparing to serve in the foreground.

    Knights #7 Emily Lichtle opened the 2nd set with an ace. Crestview would force a timeout by Lincolnview up 3-0.

    There would be a long discussion at the net by two officials and players from each team, as nobody saw which side of the net, the ball fell, on what was supposed to be the 7th point of match. They finally decided to simply replay the point, and eventually the Knights won. (The two officials would not answer when I asked about it after the game).

    They would once again go back and forth, with ties at 7-7, and again at 13-13. Crestview would go on a 4-point streak and force another timeout at 18-14. The Knights would call a timeout at 21-19.

    The Knights would win the second set, the same way they started. Another ace by #7 Emily Lichtle iced it, 25-20.

    She had a big game, going 17/17 on serves, with 2 aces, and a whooping 20 sets.

    A volleyball match in progress, featuring players from Crestview and Lincolnview in a gymnasium filled with spectators.

    The Lancers would get the 1st point of the third set, before the Knights would answer with 4 straight. There would be great saves by Knights players #5 Lydia Grace and #3 Kaci Gregory, to get the ball back in play. Crestview would end up winning the point and going up 8-7. The Lancers didn’t go down easy, forcing a Knights timeout, with the Lancers up 11-9.

    They would trade leads, before getting to a 15-15 tie. There was a miscommunication between Grace and Gregory on play, and the Lancers got the point to go up 16-15. Crestview would take the lead back at 17-16, and #20 Nora Perkins would get a big ace at 19-16. Forcing a Lancers timeout at 21-18. Perkins would finish going 16/16 on serves, with 1 ace, and 13 sets.

    The Lancers had one last fight in them, tying it at 22-22, before the Lady Knights would win the 3rd and final set of the match, in straight sets (28-26, 25-20, 25-22).

    #21 Haley McCoy led the team with 12 kills and 4 blocks. Kaci Gregory and Lydia Grace each had 19 digs for the Knights. Grace also went 9/10 on serves with an ace, as well.

    Players and coaches gathered in a gymnasium before a volleyball match between Crestview and Lincolnview, with the scoreboard showing 0-0.

    I spoke with Crestview Knights girls volleyball head coach Tammy Gregory after the game.

    I asked her how she and the team were feeling after getting a big conference win.

    “I’m just so proud of the girls. You know, we put it together. We made some changes down the stretch, and they just trust each other. They’re becoming more confident every game. Winning the conference is a goal of ours. They had a game last night, and the girls stepped up and did what they had to do.”

    It was a game of long rallies, with both teams going on long runs of 5 and 6 straight points. I asked how she kept the girls focused when momentum changes like that.

    Crestview Knights girls volleyball team huddled around their coach, discussing strategy during a match.

    “We talk about that because your right. You know, our goal is to never let somebody score more than two points, but you know, that stuff happens. You have to stop it. Whether that’s a timeout, or changing something on the court, so that it looks different to the serving team. Once you get the momentum, you have to keep it going.”

    The Knights are coming up on a stretch of 5 games in 9 days. I asked about that upcoming calendar.

    “We’ve got another conference game on Thursday, and the girls know that we cannot overlook any team, at any given night. Some things are going well for us, some things aren’t, but we’re going to continue to gel and believe in one another.”

    A crowded gymnasium filled with spectators watching a volleyball match, featuring bleachers on both sides and a volleyball net in the foreground.

    The Knights are now 6-3 overall, and 2-0 in the Northwest Conference.

    The Lady Knights will host the Allen East Mustangs (3-8 overall, and 0-2 in conference play), on Thursday afternoon. JV starts at 5:30 PM (EST).

    Knights JV girls volleyball team was also victorious, winning 2-1.

    – by Sean McKenzie

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    Stats courtesy of…..Knights Head Coach Tammy Gregory.

  • Powerhouse volleyball programs collide in early season clash.

    Crestview Lady Knights volleyball team huddled together during a match, discussing strategy on the court.

    The Crestview Lady Knights opened their 2025 season at home against the New Bremen Cardinals.

    Two programs that are no strangers to state championships and deep playoff runs.

    Both teams also starting a lot of underclassmen on their varsity teams.

    Crestview Lady Knights volleyball team stands in a line before a match, showcasing their team uniforms on the court.

    The Cardinals only have two seniors, in #4 Mary Rindler and #9 Allie Bornhorst with 9 girls either freshmen or sophomores.

    Crestview Lady Knights volleyball team in a huddle on the court, preparing for the game.

    The Lady Knights only sport three seniors, #7 Emily Lichtle, #10 Lillie Best, and #21 Haley McCoy, with 7 girls being underclassmen.

    The Lady Knights lost the 1st set 25-19 to the visitors. Coach Gregory called a timeout in the 2nd set trailing 10-3. It got some momentum for the home team started.

    Both teams played a long volley back and forth in the 2nd set, which was won by Crestview to make it a 15-11 game. That would be the best for them in that set, as they eventually lost 25-16.

    A volleyball match in progress with players from both teams in action. The Crestview Lady Knights are in black uniforms, while the New Bremen Cardinals are in blue uniforms. A player from Crestview is jumping to hit the ball over the net.

    Down 2 sets to 0, the Lady Knights were hoping to recapture some of the magic they displayed against the Paulding Panthers on Tuesday. They went down 2-0, then came back to win 3 straight sets to bring home the victory.

    The Cardinals weren’t going to make it easy on them, scoring the first 5 points of the set, before Crestview got on the board, and took 3 straight points in return.

    The Knights student section was up and loud, cheering on the Lady Knights in the 3rd set.

    A large group of students and fans cheering in the stands during a high school volleyball game, showcasing team spirit with school colors and various expressions of excitement.

    It just wasn’t meant to be for the young Lady Knights on this night. Every time they got a bit of momentum, the Cardinals were quick to shut it down.

    They fell in the 3rd and final set 25-17.

    The Knights were led by #3 Kaci Gregory, who finished the game with 14/16 serving with 3 aces, as well as 8 digs and 6 kills.

    Crestview Lady Knights volleyball team lineup, featuring players in blue jerseys, preparing for a match on the court.

    I first caught up with New Bremen Cardinals head coach Diana Kramer.

    It was the 2nd straight road win for the Cardinals; I asked her how she feels about the early season road wins and some positives coming out of it.

    “We’re in the gym a lot. There’s a lot of inexperience, a lot of young girls here. You got to trust your preparation and trust what you got to do in moments like this. The blockers did a good job controlling the net, which frustrated their hitters. I felt like outside of only one or two rotations; we were in control of most of the match.”

    She praised Coach Gregory, “With a great coach like Tammy on the sidelines, you have to bring your best.”

    Crestview Lady Knights and New Bremen Cardinals shaking hands after a volleyball match at Crestview.

    I spoke to Knights head coach Tammy Gregory shortly after the game, as well.

    I asked her what were some positives the team could take away from the loss?

    “Having good teams like this come here and compete is only going to teach our younger girls. We would get down, and we had to fight much harder to come back, because we were always down like five points. We had to waste a lot of energy to come back from that.”

    I brought up that there seemed to be a lot of miscommunications during the game.

    “We did just talk about that. I think we’ll have to take that with a more serious practice.”

    A volleyball coach stands on the sidelines with arms crossed, observing players on the court during a match. The gymnasium features a volleyball net and seating for spectators.

    The Lady Knights (1-1) are back in action at home against the Coldwater Cavaliers, on Tuesday August 26th, at 7:00 PM.

    – by Sean McKenzie

    Stats courtesy of…..Crestview head coach Tammy Gregory.