Lady Indians Place 2nd in NWKL Tourney
On Saturday, October 13, the Northwest Kansas League Volleyball Tournament was held in Hoxie. The Lady Indians earned three more wins in the tournament and lost twice. Both losses were to the eventual NWKL champion Hoxie Lady Indians in three sets. The competition was intense throughout much of the day, an some very good play by the Lady Indians earned St. Francis a second place finish.
The teams were seeded into two pools of competition with the top two teams from each pool advancing to bracket play to determine the NWKL Champion. St. Francis earned wins over Greeley County (25-11, 25-18) and Wallace County (25-11, 25-17) before losing to Hoxie ( 25-21, 24-26, 21-25) in pool play. In bracket play, St. Francis defeated Dighton 25-22, 25-15 and then lost to Hoxie in the championship match 29-27, 17-25, 18-25.
Greeley County
The Lady Indians opened the Greeley County (GC) match with a four-point run getting an opening stuff from Emma Johnson, two aces by Lauren Johnson, and a kill by Jessica Confer. The flurry led to a GC time-out very early in the set. A missed serve after the time-out was followed by a SF attack error. A three-point run including a kill by Confer moved the score to 7-2. An ace by GC freshman Grace Whitam (5' 5") narrowed the margin to 7-4, but the Lady Indians then reeled off a 9-point run. Eight of the nine points came on good plays by the Lady Indians. The flurry included aces by Confer and Lindsey Johnson; kills by Confer, Lindsey Johnson, and Mia Morrow (3); and a strong hit by Lindsey that led to a GC passing error. The margin jumped to 16-4. GC earned two stuffs, one by Mattie Brandl (5' 6" Jr.) and one by Myla Reynolds (5' 10" Fr.), during the next five volleys. With the score 19-7, it was time for a few substitute players to see some action. A four-point run by GC, their only run of the set, narrowed the deficit to 19-10 and caused a St. Francis time-out. When action resumed, McKenna Poling earned a stuff-block and Confer smacked a kill off a set by Kattie Wurm. The rest of the Lady Indian scores would come on GC errors. St. Francis won set one 25-11.
Each team earned two runs in the second set. The Lady Jackrabbits earned two four-point runs; St. Francis earned runs of 4 and 11. A GC ace opened the set but was followed by a 4-point St. Francis run. The action included an ace by Lauren Johnson and a kill by Jessica Confer. Each team earned one kill in the action leading to a 10-8 score as play was a bit ragged. A four-point GC run included an ace by Whitam and a kill by Reynolds and gave the Lady Rabbits a 10-11 advantage. The action must have gotten the Lady Indians' attention, as they rolled to a 21-11 margin on an 11-point run. A powerful kill by Confer began the rally. The action included two aces by Karly Bandel, a kill by Lauren Johnson, and two additional kills by Confer (one coming on a set by McKenna Poling). With five substitute players receiving floor time, the Lady Indians cruised to a 25-18 win. Poling recorded an ace late in the contest.
Wallace County
The first kill of the Wallace County (WC) match came from WC's Leah Ayers (5' 6" Jr.). Trailing 1-2, the Lady Indians scored 6 unanswered points before missing a serve. The action included two kills by Jessica Confer and two aces by Karly Bandel. Another 6-point run by the Lady Indians resulted from some excellent play including kills by each of the three Johnson sisters and one each by Confer and Mia Morrow. The run also featured an ace by Confer. The margin grew to 13-3. A net violation on the Lady Indians ended the run, but was followed by a three-point run ending with an ace by Emma Johnson (16-4). Another Morrow kill moved the scoreboard to 17-6. After a WC time-out, a three-point WC run (all coming on SF errors) narrowed the advantage to 18-9. It was the only run the Lady Wildcats would earn in the set. A strong hit by Morrow, a tip by Confer, and and ace by Morrow increased the lead to 21-9 and it became time for more substitutes to see action. Though Ayers earned two kills in the closing action, two kills by Confer and an ace by Lauren Johnson helped seal the win. St. Francis won set one 25-11.
Each team earned three runs in set two. The WC runs were all limited to three points each. St. Francis earned runs of 4, 5, and 5 with half of the points coming on positive deciding plays by the Lady Indians. An over-pass kill by WC's Aubrey Kuhlman (5' 8" Jr.) tying the set at 2-all was followed by a four-point Lady Indian run. In the run, Jessica Confer earned a kill and Karly Bandel served an ace. Another Confer kill and a stuff by Emma Johnson moved the score to 8-3. The next 3-point WC run ended with a tip-kill by Makenna Chaney (5' 7" So.) and narrowed the gap to 8-6. A five-point SF run including an ace by Mia Morrow and a Confer kill increased the margin to 16-8 and caused a WC time-out. Chaney's kill narrowing the deficit to 16-10 was answered by a 5-point Lady Indian run. During the action, Confer and Emma Johnson earned kills and Hannah Zimbal recorded a stuff (21-10). Each team would earn two more kills in the closing action. The Lady Indians earned a 25-17 win in set two.
Hoxie (Pool play)
The Hoxie-St. Francis match was a very close contest. Hoxie opened play with a kills by Maiah Castle (5' 7" Sr.) and Lauren Spillman (5' 10" So.). Jessica Confer's first kill in the set tied the set at 2-all. An over-set kill by Paiton Rogers (5' 8" So.) moved the score to 2-4, but was followed by a stuff by Lindsey Johnson and an ace by Emma Johnson. A three-point Hoxie run moved the score 4-7. The next run, belonging to St. Francis, was three points in length and contained two Confer kills. The action re-tied the set at 9-all. Though the Lady Indians battled hard, kills by Baylee McKenna (5' 6" So.), Castle, Rogers, and Macy Shamberger (5' 8" Jr.) kept Hoxie from relinquishing the lead. Finally, a dump-set by Emma Johnson tying the set at 13-all was followed by a Hoxie attack error and kill by Mia Morrow. St. Francis had earned a 15-13 lead, and Hoxie took their first time-out. Returning to the floor, Hoxie earned another kill by Rogers but then missed a serve. St. Francis followed with two aces by Morrow and a Confer kill to lead 19-14. Hoxie scored the next five points though St. Francis used a time-out trying to slow the momentum. The action included a stuff by Spillman, and three aces by Ayleen Dimas (5' 5" So.). The set was again tied (19-19). St. Francis responded with a 4-point run which included kills by Confer and Emma Johnson to lead 23-19. St. Francis earned two more kills in the closing volleys (E. Johnson and Confer) to win 25-21.
An ace by Reilly Pfannenstiel (5' 5" So.) opened set two. Jessica Confer earned a kill on the next volley. Confer's second kill of the set was answered by a back-row kill by Schamberger tying the set at 3-all. The first run of the set belonged to Hoxie. The run included kills by Spillman and Trinity Balluch (5' 8" Sr.) and moved the score to 4-6. A well-placed shot by Karly Bandel narrowed the gap to one, but was followed by back-to-back kills by Spillman. An aggressive kill by Schamberger triggered a SF time-out at 7-10. Confer smashed a kill through an attempted double-block on the next play. Trailing 9-11, St. Francis pieced together a 5-point run to take a 14-11 lead. The action featured two Confer kills and a stuff and kill by Lindsey Johnson. A deep-tip by Lauren Johnson increased the advantage to 16-12. Though each team earned two kills each in the ensuing action, several SF miscues allowed Hoxie to even the score at 18-all. A St. Francis attack error was followed by a Hoxie service error, but then a Confer kill gave St. Francis a 20-19 lead. Hoxie called time-out to discuss strategy. Returning to action, Hoxie earned a kill by McKenna (20-20). An exchange of errors resulted in two more ties. Hoxie took a 22-24 lead on an ace by McKenna, but with game-point looming, missed their next serve. A no-play ace (on the line) by Karly Bandel tied the set once more. Hoxe received kills from Castle and Rogers to close a highly competitive set, 24-26.
Hoxie controlled set three from the outset. Though the Lady Indians made a good push in the closing volleys, they never led after the opening action. St. Francis earned points on a dump-set by Emma Johnson and stuff by Hannah Zimbal to begin set three. Hoxie scored the next six points earning kills by Schamberger (3) and Castle enroute. Back-to-back kills by Jessica Confer narrowed the deficit to 4-6, but Hoxie then went on another run. This 8-point run was fueled by some strong serves by Schamberger (1 ace) and contained kills by Balluch and Castle. Hoxie also earned a stuff-block during the action. Though St. Francis used a time-out to try to stop the roll, the run increased the margin to 4-14. St. Francis responded with two runs (4 & 3 points) separated by a tip error and a Hoxie time-out to close to 10-15. Hoxie soon earned a 5-point run moving the score to 11-23. Hannah Zimbal's scoring tip ended the Hoxie run and began a run by the Lady Indians. Though the Lady Indians would score 9 unanswered points, to narrow the deficit to 20-23, the early margin was too much to overcome. St. Francis earned kills by Confer (3) and Zimbal and received an ace by Mia Morrow scoring on 6 of 7 consecutive volleys. Hoxie closed the set with an over-pass kill. St. Francis lost set three in a competitive battle 21-25.
Dighton
Earning a second place finish in Pool A required the Lady Indians to have their first round bracket play match in the Hoxie Grade School Gymnasium. The opponent was the Dighton Lady Hornets, the number one finisher in Pool B. St. Francis earned a dump-set score by Lauren Johnson and tip-kill by Jessica Confer to open set one. Dighton's strong middle hitter, Ella Roberts, answered with a tip, but Confer's kill through a block followed (3-1). After a Roberts stuff along the way, an ace by Dighton's Trinity Peirce (5' 4" Jr.) tied the set at 4-all. A stuff by Emma Johnson was followed by a kill by Mia Morrow, but then Dighton reeled off a 6-point run to lead 6-10. The run included two aces by Gracie George (5' 8" Jr.). St. Francis responded with two Morrow kills and an ace by Lindsey Johnson before missing a serve. The next St. Francis run (6 points) featured a kill and three aces by Morrow and a kill and stuff by Confer. St. Francis now led 15-11. Again, a missed serve stopped the momentum, and Dighton closed within one (15-14) before a dump-kill by Kattie Wurm ended the Dighton run. The Lady Hornets eventually tied the set at 16-all, but St. Francis responded with a three-point run all coming on Dighton miscues. After a Dighton time-out at 19-16, only three more kills would be recorded; one by Confer and one each by Dighton's Roberts and Gentry Shapland (5' 4" Sr.). St. Francis held on for a 25-21 win.
The Lady Indians would never trail in set two. After early scoring plays by Hanna Zimbal and Jessica Confer, the Lady Indians earned a 5-point run to lead 8-3. The run featured kills by Confer and Lauren Johnson and some additional good attacks by Confer and Morrow. Two kills by Lindsey Johnson moved the score to 10-6. A five-point Lady Indian run featuring three Morrow aces increased the margin to 16-7 before Roberts recorded another stuff. A powerful spike by Confer through a block and a dump-set score by Emma Johnson gave St. Francis a ten-point lead (18-8) and triggered a Dighton time-out. Four St. Francis players--E. Johnson, Morrow, Confer, and Zimbal would earn kills in the closing volleys. St. Francis earned a 25-15 victory over Dighton to advance to the championship match.
Hoxie (Championship)
The second match-up of the day between Hoxie and St. Francis proved to be very similar to the first. St. Francis won set one, but Hoxie found a way to earn a match victory. Due to excellent defense and passing as well as a strong offensive attack, the Lady Indians found points much more difficult to earn against Hoxie than most of their other opponents. Two kills by Macy Schamberger were separated by a stuff by Hannah Zimbal making the score 3-2. A 5-3 score resulted from a nice tip just over a block by Mia Morrow. St. Francis earned the first run of the set (3 points) to lead 8-4. The last two scores in the run resulted from stuff-blocks by Zimbal and Lauren Johnson. A four-point St. Francis run a bit later featured kills by Jessica Confer and Emma Johnson and moved the Lady Indian advantage to 14-6 causing a Hoxie time-out. A 3-point Hoxie run, all coming on SF miscues, narrowed the margin to five (15-10). Trailing 19-13 after a dump-set by Emma Johnson, Hoxie scored four consecutive points to narrow the gap to 19-17. In the action, kills were earned by Paiton Rogers and Schamberger and a stuff was recorded by Lexi Torluemke (5' 8" Jr.). Morrow ended the run with an aggressive kill. After a kill by Baylee McKenna, Confer recorded a stuff-block and E. Johnson scored on a dump-set. The action caused Hoxie to use their final time-out (22-18). The next run would belong to Hoxie. A SF passing error on an attack by Rogers began a three-point run that tied the score at 24-all when Rogers earned a kill two volleys later. Morrow answered with a kill off a block attempt, but another passing error on a Rogers attack again tied the set. Morrow's next kill was answered by an powerful kill by McKenna (26-all). Another SF miscue gave Hoxie a narrow lead, but the Lady Indians scored on the next play. A well-placed tip by Confer earned a 28-27 lead, and a net violation on Hoxie during a joust at the net decided the set. St. Francis won set one 29-27.
Three early kills by Jessica Confer in set two established a 4-1 St. Francis lead. McKenna ended the fun with a strong attack. A scoring tip by Emma Johnson was answered by a stuff by Balluch and an ace by Schamberger tying the set at 5-all. A Hoxie attack error gave St. Francis their last lead of the set (6-5) before Hoxie earned a four-point run to take a 6-9 lead. In the action, Maiah Castle earned a tip-kill and a stuff. St. Francis narrowed the deficit to two (9-11) on a kill by Mia Morrow, but Hoxie earned a 6-point run to widen the margin to 9-17. Schamberger and McKenna each had two kills in the run. St. Francis won 6 of the next 7 volleys to close within three (15-18). Lauren Johnson recorded an ace and Emma Johnson a stuff in the action leading to a Hoxie time-out. St. Francis would get no closer as a 6-point Hoxie run closed the set at 17-25. Only two of the Hoxie scores in the run came on Hoxie kills.Jessica Confer opened the deciding set with a kill. Schamberger answered on the next volley. Kills by Schamberger and Balluch plus a Hoxie stuff placed St. Francis at an early 2-4 deficit. The next Hoxie run, (Schamberger kill, Torluemke kill, Rogers kill) increased the margin to 3-7. An ace by Emma Johnson narrowed the difference to two points, Hoxie then scored 7 consecutive points to lead 6-14. The run included three kills and an ace. Tip-kills by Confer and Zimbal finished a SF three-point run and narrowed the deficit to 9-14. The next run, 3 points, belonged to Hoxie and featured an ace by McKenna and a kill by Balluch (10-19). The next St. Francis score came on a free-ball kill by Kattie Wurm, but was answered quickly by a powerful spike by Schamberger. A stretch of good plays by the Lady Indians included kills by Confer, Lindsey Johnson (3), and Mia Morrow plus an ace by E. Johnson. The action narrowed the deficit to 16-22, but the Lady Indians could get no closer. Hoxie took a three-set win 18-25 to earn the Northwest Kansas League championship.
The Lady Indians will compete in the Regional Tournament in St. Francis on Tuesday, October 16. Tournament action begins at 2:00 p.m. in the St. Francis High School Gymnasium. The Lady Indians' first match will be against the winner of the Weskan/Wallace County match that opens the tournament. The Lady Indians' first match will begin at approximately 4:30 p.m.
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