Day two of the NSAA State Volleyball Tournament began on Thursday, and the teams in Class D1 took the court right after lunch. #1 Southwest earned a 3-0 sweep over #8 Diller-Odell and #4 Cambridge fell to #5 EMF in straight sets. Be sure to catch our highlights from each match which are included in this blog. Let's jump right into the matches, beginning with Southwest.
Southwest trailed early, 2-1, but they didn't trail long. Aspen Billeter took the service line, and after an ace, the Roughriders took a 4-2 lead. The Griffins evened the set at 4-4, but Southwest went on a run to create a little separation, 7-5. Southwest extended their lead and forced a Diller-Odell timeout at 16-11. They kept their foot on the gas and forced another timeout from the Griffins, 19-13. Anastasia Gallegos toed the service line for the last handful of points in set one as the Roughriders closed out set one with a 25-14 win and a 1-0 lead.
In set two, Diller-Odell struck first, but Southwest responded and took the 5-3 lead. Billeter took the service line and served until the score read 8-6. Diller-Odell was clicking in this set and pushed Southwest as the Roughriders took a timeout when they trailed 15-13. Southwest responded and took the lead, forcing the Griffins to use a timeout at 18-15. The Roughriders kept pushing and forced another Diller-Odell timeout 22-17. The Griffins wouldn't go down without a fight and forced Southwest to use a timeout at 24-20. Southwest went on to take the second set, 25-21, and the 2-0 lead.
Diller-Odell took the lead early in the third set, going up 2-1. The Roughriders evened it up at 3-3, but Diller-Odell took the lead back at 6-4, extending their lead to 10-6. Southwest was able to even the set at 11-11 and extended their lead to 15-12, forcing Diller-Odell to use a timeout. Southwest kept the pressure on, extended the lead, and made the Griffins use their final timeout at 18-14. Southwest kept pushing, but Diller-Odell kept fighting. Southwest had to use their final timeout when the Griffins pulled within one, 21-20. The Roughriders went on to win the set, 25-23, and the match, 3-0.
For Diller-Odell, Carly Meyerle had 12 kills, Baileigh Vilda had 11 kills, two aces, and six digs, Myleigh Weers had 10 kills, and eight digs, Sidney Engelman had 11 digs, Jaedyn Hajeck had 14 digs, Aidan McKinney had five blocks, and Berkelee Beekman had three blocks, 17 digs, and 22 assists. The Griffins end their season with a record of 19-12.
For Southwest, Kyra Nelms had 12 kills and three blocks, Anikka Nelms had 12 kills and three blocks, Atleigh Nelms had nine kills, and Aspen Billeter had three aces, 13 digs, and 29 assists. Southwest improves to 34-0.
Check out our interview with Allison VanPelt of Southwest after their win.
The Bobcats jumped out to the 4-1 lead over Cambridge in set one and continued to push and forced a Trojan timeout at 6-1. Cambridge fought back and pulled within four, 16-12. They stayed close throughout the remainder of the set but dug too big of a hole early on. EMF took set one, 25-20.
In set two, EMF jumped out ahead quickly again. The Bobcats led 4-2 and forced a timeout from Cambridge, 8-3. EMF had a strong serve game rolling and was attacking the ball really well, which helped them create a cushion as Cambridge trailed 11-4. The Trojans pulled within four again, 18-14, and forced EMF to call a timeout. The Trojans found a spark at the net and tightened up their defense, but it was just too big of a hole again as they fell in set two 25-20 and trailed 2-0.
EMF jumped to the 5-3 lead in the third set, but Cambridge kept in contact throughout the set. They trailed at 14-10, used a timeout, and found another gear coming out of the timeout as they evened it up at 14-14. EMF also found another gear as they hit the gas and took control, taking the third set, 25-19, and the match, 3-0, over Cambridge.
For EMF, Kaydence Haase had 25 kills, two aces, and 17 digs, Ella Archer had six kills and three blocks, Taylin Schluter had 16 digs, Miley Riceenbaw had 12 digs, and Lily Jefferies had 35 assists. EMF improves to 21-10 and will face #1 Southwest at 9:00 A.M. on Friday on the South Court at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
For the Trojans, Erin Johnson had six kills and seven digs, Brooklyn Holtze had four kills and 11 digs, Joslyn Holtze had four kills and 10 digs, and Mallory Springer had 10 digs and 16 assists. Cambridge ends their season with a record of 22-11.
Head coach for Cambridge, Lauren Carpenter, said "Kaydence Haase was able to work the ball really well. Just when we would adjust our block and defense she'd switch it up so she was really hard to read. We seemed a day late and a dollar short no matter what we did. It has been a great season and a rollercoaster of a ride. The losses we had throughout the season helped us as athletes and drove us even more to reach our end goal. Super proud of these girls and all that they accomplished. Overall, we have all grown as athletes and individuals. I am looking forward to what these girls can do in the future."
Our volleyball highlights are brought to you by Prairie Girl Candle Company.
