After sluggish start, HWC net crew battles Washburn

Throw out the first set of this match, and you have yourselves a dandy high school volleyball game.

Washburn cruised by HWC by 13 points in game one, and then outlasted the Hornets in extra play in the final three games to go on to a 3-1 victory Tuesday, September 20, in Harvey.

Game one was a bit of a yawner, as the Cardinals started strong and stayed strong throughout. Washburn took an early 8-2 lead on kills from Molly Jennings and Monica Goven. HWC pulled to within four at one point on an Ashley Keller kill, but strong serving by Sydney Schmit and attack errors by the Hornets gave game one to the Cardinals, 25-12.

The second set of the night started evenly, as the teams were tied five times with the score 6-6. HWC opened up a five-point lead with the help of kills from Emma Dockter and Larissa Arnold. With Schmit serving, Jennings rattled off three kills in five points to propel the Cardinals to 10 straight and a 19-13 lead. The Hornets fought back with kills from Keller and Arnold, and eventually tied the game at 24 on an ace from Christalea Wagner. Washburn scored the final two points, winning game two, 26-24.

Game three was similar to the previous game with Washburn holding a slight edge early on. A kill from Arnold and an ace and kill from Aubree Wolfe tied the game at nine. The game was tied four times until Washburn opened up a 20-16 lead on an ace from Sierra Rodriguez. Two Dockter kills, a kill from Keller and an ace from Kayme Bartz helped HWC tie the game at 24. The Hornets would get the advantage in extra points in this game, using another Keller kill to help HWC to a 28-26 win.

Game four did not appear early on to be the deciding game of the evening. The Hornets opened up a huge 14-3 lead behind the solid serving of Delaney Erfle. Dockter, Keller, Arnold and Wolfe all had kills in the nine point run. It took most of the game, but the Cardinals chipped away at the Hornet lead, using kills from numerous players.

With HWC leading, 20-11, Washburn scored 11 of the next 13 points and got a kill from Ashlyn Schmitz to take a 23-22 lead. A kill from Dockter for HWC gave the Hornets a 25-24 lead, but an ace from Schmitz lifted the Cardinals to a 27-25 win and 3-1 match win.

Jennings had a great night at the net with 15 kills, while Shelby Verke had a nice night setting with 38 assists. Goven led a group of five players with double digit digs with 26, and also had four aces and three blocked shots.

The Hornets were led by Bartz with 17 assists and Keller with seven kills. Five players reached double digits in digs, with Arnold leading the way with 16. Arnold also had four blocks on the night.

Nonregion Volleyball

Washburn 3, HWC 1

at Harvey

Wash. 25 26 26 27 - 3

HWC 12 24 28 25 - 1

HWC Individual Stats

Kills: Ashley Keller 7, Emma Dockter and Aubree Wolfe 6, Larissa Arnold 4, Kayme Bartz 1.

Aces: Bartz 3, Delaney Erfle, Christalea Wagner and Wolfe 2.

Assists: Bartz 17, Arnold 2, Dockter and Wolfe 1.

Blocks: Arnold 4, Wolfe 1.

Digs: Arnold 16, Dockter and Wagner 13, Bartz and Erfle 10, Wolfe 6, Keller 2.

Washburn Individual Stats

Kills: Molly Jennings 15, Ashlyn Schmitz 9, Monica Goven 6, Lauren Braun 5, Sydney Schmit 4, Sierra Rodriguez 2, Dara Beck and Shelby Verke 1.

Aces: Goven and Schmit 4, Rodriguez 3, Schmitz and Verke 1.

Assists: Verke 38, Sydney Shoemaker 2, Beck and Goven 1.

Blocks: Goven 3, Braun, Jennings, Schmit and Schmitz 1.

Digs: Goven 26, Beck 16, Jennings 15, Rodriguez and Verke 12, Schmitz and Shoemaker 7, Schmit 5, Braun 3.