Lady Indians Hunt Down Coyotes and Bobcats
On Tuesday, September 24, the Lady Indian volleyball team traveled to Weskan to compete with teams from Weskan and Bethune, Colorado. The Lady Indians won every set played. The varsity Lady Indians defeated Weskan 25-10, 25-15 and Bethune 25-8, 26-24. The junior varsity team only played one set against each of their opponents; defeating Weskan 25-21 and Bethune 25-13.
St. Francis waisted little time in demonstrating their dominance over the Weskan Lady Coyotes. After a missed serve by Weskan to open the first set, St. Francis earned kills by Mia Morrow and Hannah Zimbal enroute to a 5-0 advantage. A missed serve ended the run, and Weskan trimmed the margin to 6-3 before the next SF run was initiated. This run, 7 successive points, began with a strong kill by Morrow and included kills by Hannah Zimbal, Rian Zimbal, and Emma Johnson as well as three aces by Morrow. The outburst moved the margin to 10 points (13-3) before a dump-set by Weskan freshman Desirae McQuillan ended the fun. The Lady Coyotes trimmed the deficit to eight (7-15) on an ace by junior Stephanie Rother, but kills by Morrow (3) and Jordyn Faulkender soon returned the margin to ten (10-20). St. Francis ended the set scoring five consecutive points. SF earned a back-row kill from Morrow, a kill from Jesslynn Houtman, a through-the-block kill by Faulkender, a kill by Hanna Zimbal, and an ace by Morrow demonstrating the improving team balance of the Lady Indians. St. Francis won set one 25-10.
Junior Teagan Summer scored the initial point of the second set for the Lady Coyotes. St. Francis followed with a three-point run including two kills by Mia Morrow before missing a serve. A second missed serve of the set by the Lady Indians tied the set at 4-all, and Weskan took a brief 4-5 lead on a SF passing error on the next volley. Behind some consistent serving by Ellee Krien, the Lady Indians scored 8 consecutive points to take a 12-5 lead. The action featured three aces by Krien, a kill by Emma Johnson, and a kill by Rian Zimbal. Weskan took a time-out to slow the momentum; and it worked as a passing error ended the run. A kill by Weskan sophomore Brie Allen moved the scoreboard to 12-7, but the Lady Indians earned a five-point run stretching the advantage to ten (17-7). This run included a kill by Johnson, a back-row kill by Morrow, and an ace by Karly Bandel. Another kill by Allen ended the run, but was followed by a stuff-block by Johnson and a deep-tip by Hannah Zimbal. A four-point SF run highlighted by a Morrow kill and a Johnson ace moved the margin to 23-12. Though the Lady Coyotes earned three consecutive points late in the set, a kill by Morrow and an ace by Zimbal completed the action. St. Francis won set two 25-15.
The one-set junior varsity contest was much closer. Though the Lady Indians led throughout the set, the outcome of the match was not decided until the match was complete. An ace by Hailey Robbins gave the Lady Indians a 3-1 lead. Kills by Rian Zimbal and Ellee Krien as well as an attack by McKenna Poling helped increase the margin to 8-3. The 4-point SF run ended on a kill by Weskan sophomore Bethany Rother, and soon the Lady Coyotes were nipping at the Lady Indians' heels at 8-6. Rother's ace moved the scoreboard to 10-8, but the Lady Indians responded with a seven-point run behind some consistent serves by Poling. In the run, Poling served two aces and Zimbal added a kill. The run increased the advantage to 17-8. Four consecutive attack errors by the Lady Indians trimmed the margin to 17-12 causing the Lady Indians to use a time-out. Trailing 20-13, Weskan added another run of 4 points trimming the difference to 20-17. A kill by Zimbal ended the Coyote run and was soon followed by a nice tip and stuff by Mireya Palacio-Rocha advancing the score to 23-18. Rother earned a kill and an ace before the set ended, but the Lady Indians prevailed 25-21.
The varsity match between Bethune and the Lady Indians was interesting. The two sets were entirely different. St. Francis never trailed in set one. After a kill by Bethune's Abbey Adolf tied the set at 2-all, St. Francis exploded for 9 consecutive points. The run was highlighted by some attacking serves by Mia Morrow as well as two kills and a stuff by Hannah Zimbal. The action placed the Lady Indians at an 11-2 advantage. A missed serve initiated a 3-point run by the Lady Bobcats. A five-point SF run followed with Morrow recording a kill, Zimbal scoring on a well-placed tip after an extended volley, a kill by Emma Johnson, and an ace by Ellee Krien. An attack error by the Lady Indians ended the run, but another 4-point SF run followed. This run featured an powerful kill by Johnson, a kill by Rian Zimbal, and another Johnson kill. The action moved the score to 20-6. St. Francis won set one 25-8.
After being totally dominated in set one, the Lady Bobcats regrouped and played much better in set two. Though the Bobcats did not feature a strong offensive attack, they made some excellent defensive plays in set two. A SF attack error gave the Lady Bobcats their first lead of the match at 1-2. St. Francis then scored three straight points all coming on Bethune errors (4-2). Scores on a tip at the net and an ace by Daniela Salinas helped Bethune take a 5-7 advantage. St. Francis retook the lead scoring on the next three volleys. After losing the advantage, St. Francis took a 10-9 lead on a kill by Rian Zimbal. Bethune soon tied the match at 11-all. St. Francis then scored a three-point run that included an ace by Emma Johnson. A kill by Mia Morrow moved the scoreboard to 15-12 and triggered a Bethune time-out. A tip-kill by Morrow extended the Lady Indian lead to four (17-13). Though Jordan Faulkender scored on a joust at the net, the Lady Bobcats soon reduced the deficit to 19-17 on an off-the-net kill by Adolf. A five-point Bethune outburst burned a SF time-out and gave the Bobcats a 21-22 advantage. On the next volley, Rian Zimbal hammered an aggressive kill retying the set. A down-the-line kill by Bethune's Alexandra Millan gave Bethune the lead again (23-24). St. Francis used their final time-out and returned to the floor to earn kills by Hannah Zimbal and Mia Morrow. A final attack error by the Lady Bobcats sealed the SF win at 26-24.
St. Francis controlled the junior varsity game versus Bethune by gradually increasing the lead as the set progressed. An ace by Ellee Krien gave SF a 3-1 lead, but the set became tied at 4-all. Kills by McKenna Poling and Bailey Workman as well as an ace by Mirreya Palisio-Rocha helped move the margin to 9-5 before a kill by Abbey Adolf ended the run. After an ace by Workman (11-7), Bethune scored three consecutive points trimming the lead to 11-10 and causing a SF time-out. St. Francis returned to the floor to score 7 straight points to lead 18-10. The action included an off-the-net kill by Krien and several good serves by Hadleigh Hilt. With the score at 19-13. St. Francis ended the set with a 6-point run. During the finalizing run, Palisio-Rocha earned a kill and Zimbal scored a kill on the final volley. St. Francis defeated Bethune in junior varsity action 25-13.
The Lady Indians will play in Benkelman on Thursday, September 26, against Dundy-County Stratton and Chase County (Imperial).
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