Lady Indians Place 2nd in NWKL Tourney
The Lady Indian volleyball team placed 2nd in the Northwest Kansas League Volleyball Tournament on Saturday, October 14. The Lady Indians played well throughout the day and were within a few points of winning the league championship--a feat not accomplished since 1976. Though the goal of winning the championship was denied, the Lady Indians played like champions throughout the day. The Lady Indians defeated Greeley County, Wallace County, and Quinter in two set matches in pool play and controlled an very good Rawlins County team in the semi-finals to qualify for the championship match. Hoxie squeezed past the Lady Indians in a tightly contested championship match to earn the 2017 NWKL championship.
Complete match results of the tournament are below.
Pool 1: St. Francis defeated Greeley County 25-14, 25-11; Quinter defeated Wallace County 25-20, 25-16; St. Francis defeated Wallace County 25-17, 25-13; Quinter defeated Greeley County 25-8, 25-14; Wallace County defeated Greeley County 25-12, 25-11; St. Francis defeated Quinter 25-22, 25-15.
Pool 2: Rawlins County defeated Decatur Community 25-12, 25-14; Hoxie defeated Dighton 25-23, 25-23; Rawlins County defeated Dighton 25-23, 25-22; Hoxie defeated Decatur Community 25-17, 22-25, 25-12; Dighton defeated Decatur Community 25-13, 25-11; Hoxie defeated Rawlins County 11-25, 25-20, 25-18.
Semi-Finals: St. Francis defeated Rawlins County 25-19, 25-10; Hoxie defeated Quinter 25-12, 25-18.
Finals: Hoxie defeated St. Francis 25-22, 25-22.
Greeley County
St. Francis opened the tournament with a 9:00 a.m. match versus Greeley County. The Lady Indians dominated the Lady Jackrabbits winning in two straight sets and only allowing one three-point run in the entire match. Meanwhile the Lady Indians earned 8 runs in the match, some as large as 7 points, en route to a 25-14, 25-10 victory.
St. Francis started set one with a 6-point run fueled by some strong serves by Lauren Johnson. Four of the six points came on Johnson's aces. The other two came on passing errors. After another 3-point run, St. Francis reeled off 7 straight points to lead 19-5. The run included a deep-tip and three aces by Hanna Bracelin and an over-pass kill by Hannah Zimbal. With each of the St. Francis substitute players seeing playing time in the set, the Lady Indians finished the match playing nearly evenly with the Lady Jackrabbits. The Lady Rabbits earned their only 3-point run of the match late in the set to narrow the lead to 20-10, but the Lady Indians completed a 25-14 win in set one.
Set two was much the same. St. Francis trailed 0-1 due to an early passing error, but it was the only time the Lady Indians trailed in the entire match. A kill by Jessica Confer and a "facial' delivered by Emileigh Dinkel soon lead to a 5-2 Lady Indian advantage. Greeley County (GC) trimmed the lead to 5-4 on a strong kill by senior Hannah Brandl, but then the Lady Indians reeled off two runs of four points each to increase the lead to 13-5. The runs included a Bracelin kill, a kill by Taighe Weeter, and two Confer aces. After a GC time-out, the Lady Indians earned runs of three and five eventually stretching the margin to 24-10. Along the way, kills were earned by Lauren Johnson (2), Dinkel, and Confer. Johnson had three consecutive aces in the final run. St. Francis ended the match when GC had trouble controlling an attack by Hannah Zimbal. St. Francis won set two 25-11.
Wallace County
Two kills by Jessica Confer helped St. Francis earn a 3-1 lead in set one. After a tip-kill by Hanna Bracelin, Wallace County (WC) earned a 5-point run to lead 4-7. St. Francis answered with a 3-point run tying the set. The run included several good serves by Confer and a kill by Lauren Johnson. After falling behind by two points, Emileigh Dinkel's aggressive kill tied the set at 10-all. The next volley was an extended volley including three excellent digs by the Lady Indians (Madison Tice 1, Taighe Weeter 2) but WC finally won the point. And ace by senior Carli Haislip followed (10-12). St. Francis responded with a 6-point run which included an over-pass kill by Confer, three aces by Lauren Johnson, as well as a WC time-out. After the time-out, the run grew to 9 points with the addition of two more Johnson aces and a kill by Lindsey Johnson. The Lady Indians now led 19-12. The next SF run, 4 points in length, increased the margin to 23-15. Karly Bandel served up the run, and Bracelin and Dinkel added kills. St. Francis added an ace by TIce before the game ended. St. Francis won set one 25-18.
Lindsey Johnson nailed an aggressive kill to open set two. Jessica Confer soon added a tip-kill and stuff. Johnson's next kill moved the scoreboard to 5-1. The teams battled back-and-forth exchanging long volleys of exciting action. The Lady Indians gradually increased their advantage to 12-5 receiving a kill and stuff by Confer, a kill by Hanna Bracelin, two kills by Lauren Johnson, a kill by Emileigh Dinkel, an outstanding dig by Taighe Weeter, and a reactionary save by Lauren Johnson after a WC block. A 3-point WC run trimmed the advantage to 12-8, and eventually the lead slipped to three (13-10). St. Francis then reeled off another run. The run encompassed 6 points and followed some strong serves by Madison Tice. Bracelin earned three more kills in the run. The outburst increased the SF lead to 19-10. The Lady Indians gathered an over-pass kill and ace by Confer before the set closed. St. Francis won set two 25-13.
Quinter
In each set against the Lady Bulldogs from Quinter, St. Francis earned four runs while limiting Quinter to two in each set. The Lady Indians only trailed once in the entire match. Quinter earned 0-1 lead on the opening volley due to a SF net violation. The Lady Bulldogs returned the favor on the next volley. Madison Tice then served up an ace giving the Lady Indians a lead they would not relinquish for the remained of the match. Action was intense with long volleys. Two early volleys set the tone for the match. Leading 4-3, a long volley ended on a tip by Jessica Confer after an excellent dig by Madison Tice. Moments later, another extended volley including a great save by Lauren Johnson ended on a lift call against the Lady Dawgs. Though the SF lead was only 7-4, the defensive intensity possessed by the Lady Indians spelled trouble for Quinter. Back-to back kills by Hanna Bracelin and Lindsey Johnson moved the scoreboard to 9-7. A stuff-block by Bracelin and an over-pass kill by Confer increased the lead to 12-8. Quinter came to compete, and soon a tip and aggressive over-pass kill by Peyton Havlas (senior) narrowed the advantage to 12-11. Though Confer won a joust at the net, a stuff by Havlas and a kill by Kylie Crist (senior) eventually tied the match at 14-all. Fortunately for the Lady Indians, Quinter missed their next service attempt. A 3-point run by SF included an attack error by Quinter, a kill by Lauren Johnson, and an ace by Taighe Weeter. The Lady Indians had forged a 19-15 lead. Three volleys later, the Lady Bulldogs had closed the gap to 19-18. Emileigh Dinkel answered with an over-set kill, but then the Lady Indians missed a serve. After a net violation, the score became tied again at 20-all. Then Quinter missed a serve. On the next volley, an outstanding dig by Weeter helped set up a Confer kill. After a Quinter time-out, a Bracelin kill off-a-block gave the Lady Indians a 23-20 lead. A Havlas stuff of a Confer attack on the next volley caused a SF time-out. After returning to the floor, Havlas spiked a SF over-pass narrowing the margin to 23-22. A net violation on the Lady Bulldogs helped the SF cause, and a kill by Lauren Johnson sealed a 25-22 win for the Lady Indians.
An early four-point run including an strong kill by Emileigh Dinkel, a deep-corner kill by Jessica Confer, an over-set kill by Lindsey Johnson, and a Quinter net violation gave the Lady Indians a 5-1 lead and caused the Lady Bulldogs to use their 1st time-out. The Lady Bulldogs followed with a Havlas kill and stuff narrowing the advantage toe 6-3. Another long volley including three outstanding saves by the Lady Indians ended with a Confer tip. Like it had done in set one, the defensive stand help set the tone for set two. Though the Lady Indians missed their next serve, they soon rallied for 5 straight points getting two kills by Taighe Weeter and an ace by Hanna Bracelin. The run increased the Lady Indians' lead to 12-4. The run ended on another missed serve by the Lady Indians. A ball-handling error following an attack by Abrie Fisher (senior) and an over-set error smashed by Blake Selensky (junior) narrowed the margin to 12-7 and caused St. Francis to spend a time-out. After the time-out, SF scored 4 straight points capitalizing on four consecutive errors by the Lady Dawgs including an ace by Weeter. The advantage moved to 16-7 and caused the second Quinter time-out. An exchange of kills between Lindsey Johnson, Confer, and Havlas (3) moved the score to 18-11. St. Francis then scored six straight points behind some strong serves by Karly Bandel. The points came on five Quinter errors and one Confer kill. The run ended on another missed serve. After a 3-point Quinter run, Confer closed the match with a kill. St. Francis earned a 25-15 win.
Rawlins County
St. Francis advanced to the semi-final contest winning Pool 1 with three straight two-set victories. Rawlins County (RC) lost a tight three-set match to Hoxie placing 2nd in Pool 2. St. Francis played very well in the semi-final match earning a 25-19, 25-10 win over a very good Rawlins County team. Lindsey Johnson stuffed an over-pass to give SF their first lead (2-1). The advantage was short-lived as Brea Lankas' (sophomore) kill evened the score. St. Francis then earned a 5-point run to lead 7-2. The run included a tip-kill by Hanna Bracelin, an ace by Madison Tice, and an off-the-block kill by Jessica Confer. Another Lankas kill ended the run. Kills by RC's Angie Singhateh (junior) and Kristen Beckman (sophomore) narrowed the margin to 8-7 before another Bracelin kill answered. RC tied the set at 10-all on a over-pass tip, but an kill by Taighe Weeter was followed by a long volley ending with a kill by Emileigh Dinkel. Soon RC tied the set at 12-all on a stuff-block. Lauren Johnson answered with a dump-set and an ace. The Lady Indians gained a 15-12 lead only to have RC close to 16-15 moments later. St. Francis then responded with a Bracelin kill, and two strong attacks by Confer. The 19-15 advantage caused a RC time-out. The teams battled evenly for several points, but the game closed on a deep-tip by Lauren Johnson and a kill by Confer. St. Francis won set one 25-19.
St. Francis fell behind early in set two trailing 1-4 after scoring on a powerful kill by Emileigh Dinkel. A strong kill by Hanna Bracelin pulled the Lady Indians within one (4-5). After a RC collision on the next volley, Taighe Weeter's kill gave St. Francis a 6-5 lead and started an extended run by the Lady Indians. The 7-point run included 4 kills and a great save by Weeter and an ace serve by Jessica Confer. The outburst increased the St. Francis lead to 12-5. After an SF attack error, another 4-point run moved the scoreboard to 16-6. This run featured a Bracelin ace and stuff and strong attack by Lauren Johnson. The next SF run, six points in length, moved the advantage to 22-8. This run featured two kills by Dinkel, two by Lindsey Johnson, and a dump-set by Bracelin. Confer and Dinkel each earned kills in the closing volleys. St. Francis dominated an excellent Rawlins County team in set two 25-10. The win advanced St. Francis to the championship match.
Hoxie
Hoxie advanced to the championship match with a win over Quinter in semi-final action. Though the Lady Indians played well in the championship match, Hoxie's accuracy in execution spelled the difference in the match. Hoxie committed a limited number of attack or passing errors during the match. The constant Hoxie attack partially limited the Lady Indians' offense as they were kept off-balance by the continuous pressure. St. Francis played outstanding defense, but the match was determined by the outstanding play of the Hoxie team.
Hoxie opened set one with a crushing kill by Rebekah Castle (senior). A 4-point St. Francis run including two kills by Lindsey Johnson gave the Lady Indians a 4-2 advantage. Hoxie tied the match at 4-all on an over-pass kill by Castle. With the Lady Indians up 8-6, Hoxie earned a 3-point run getting a kill by Macy Schamberger (sophomore) and two stuff blocks to lead 8-9. St. Francis retook the lead (10-9) on two Hoxie attack errors, but three consecutive kills by Hoxie, one by Lilly Schamberger (senior) and two by Brooke Dorenkamp (senior), placed St. Francis at a 2-point deficit. Lauren Johnson earned a kill off an attempted block by L. Schamberger ending an extended volley, but then Hoxie earned another 3-point run on a L. Shamberger kill and two SF miscues (11-15). Two Hoxie errors narrowed the margin, but a stuff and ace by Hoxie returned the deficit to four (13-17). A kill by Jessica Confer moved St. Francis within two (17-19) and triggered a Hoxie time-out. Hoxie followed with a kill by Castle and a crushing spike by L. Schamberger. Though the attacks were separated by a missed serve (by Hoxie), the margin grew to 18-21. Three consecutive errors by Hoxie (1 attack and two net violations) tied the set at 21-all and caused Hoxie to spend their last time-out. After returning to the floor, Hoxie earned three consecutive points; one on a kill by L. Shamberger and two on an attack error and a net violation by the Lady Indians. Though Hoxie missed a serve to give St. Francis their 22nd point, they followed with a kill by L. Shamberger off an attempted block. Hoxie won set one 22-25.
In set two, a stuff by Lindsey Johnson was followed by a 4-point Hoxie run. The run resulted from a missed serve and an attack error by the Lady Indians as well as kill and stuff by Rebekah Castle. Jessica Confer stopped the run with a kill, and Madison Tice added an ace. Hoxie then scored 3 more consecutive points; earning two on kills by Castle and Brooke Dorenkamp to lead 3-7. Another 3-point run, including two additional Castle kills, increased the margin to 4-10. A SF passing error of a Macy Schamberger attack was followed by a let-serve by Baylee McKenna (freshman). The action increased the Hoxie lead to 5-12. St. Francis responded with a 4-point run getting two kills from Taighe Weeter to narrow the gap to 9-12. Another 3-point Hoxie run, resulting from a down-the-line kill by Macy Schamberger and a Dorenkamp kill off-a-block, triggered a SF time-out at 9-15. After the time-out, Lauren Johnson smashed an aggressive kill, but then SF missed a service attempt. Fortunately, the miss was followed with a three-point SF run. In the run, Lauren Johnson served an ace, and Lindsey Johnson stuffed an attack by M. Schamberger. Castle sandwiched another aggressive line shot between kills by Emileigh Dinkel and Hanna Bracelin before earning another 3-point run. In the run, M. Schamberger earned a strong kill, and the margin increased to 15-22. St. Francis continued to play aggressively, and reeled off a 6-point run trimming the deficit to 21-22. In the flurry, Confer, Bracelin, and Weeter each earned kills. After a Hoxie time-out, Castle stuffed an attack by Lauren Johnson, and St. Francis called time-out. On the next volley, SF committed a net violation. Lauren Johnson answered with a kill, but L. Schamberger's final smash gave Hoxie a 22-25 match win.
St. Francis will compete in the Sub-State Volleyball Tournament in Wakeeney on Saturday, October 21. The Sub-State champion will advance to the 2A State Tournament in Emporia the following weekend.
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