Thomalla's kills put away Aurora Central

There was really no need to check the Aurora Christian girls volleyball team's sheet of statistics to see which player led the Eagles in kills.

It was clear senior Tara Thomalla did, especially in the second game, when the Eagles needed her the most.

Thomalla's match-high 10 kills -- 9 in the second game -- helped the Eagles beat Aurora Central Catholic 25-18, 25-21 in nonconference action at Aurora Christian.

"She's obviously our go-to hitter," Aurora Christian coach Nicole Andersen said of Thomalla. "She does a great job, she's my senior, she handles it well on the floor. She's the person we want to get the ball to."

Passing the ball to Thomalla was a bit of a problem in the first game, but that got better as the second game progressed.

"I've been really trying to work on my swing lately," Thomalla said. "Mentally, I was getting down on myself in the first game, but in the second game, I knew I had to focus on the team and fill in the role my team needed."

Thomalla's first kill of the match ended the first game, which featured four early ties before the Eagles captured the lead for good after a 5-5 knot.

"We came out strong," Andersen said. "They played aggressively and never let a ball hit the floor. I felt we really started doing that and easing up a bit in the second game."

In the second game, ACC (1-6) scored the first 5 points and led by as much as 7-1, but Thomalla's kills boosted the Eagles back in the game.

"They were able to control (Thomalla)," Aurora Central coach Randy Hewitt said. "She got a couple of kills in crunch time, and that was it."

After a 15-15 tie, Aurora Christian (4-4) secured the lead for good.