Falcons go 2-3 in final week of regular season

The Abbotsford Falcons won two of their final five games of the regular season, going 2-2 at the Edgar Invite tournament this past Saturday and then falling to the Assumption Royals Tuesday afternoon in the Marawood crossover event held in Marathon.

Assumption, 3-1

In a battle between fourth place finishers, the South’s Assumption Royals came out on top, besting the Falcons in four sets, 3-1.

While Abbotsford’s quick pace offense was enough to get around some of the Royals blocks and find gaps in the defense, the overall height and power advantage held by Assumption proved to be the more consistent method of stringing together kills.

Neither team could take much of an advantage for much of the first set, Abbotsford’s early speed was enough to keep Assumption off guard. As the game pushed towards its conclusion, it was the Falcons that emerged with one of the largest leads of the game, going up 18-15. However, an 8-0 run for the Royals completely changed the complexion of the affair, a combination of solid serving and strong hitting from the Royals’ outside hitters turning the tables. Abbotsford managed a side out and got two consecutive kills from Briseida Escalera to draw back within two, but that would be all the closer the Falcons would get, as Assumption would take the first set 25-22.

The Royals opened the second set with another huge run, scoring seven straight points to start the game. Abbotsford managed to answer with a six-point run of their own, but Assumption’s offensive firepower gave them control over the midgame. The final 25-15 victory for the Royals put Abbotsford in a 2-0 hole, requiring a reverse sweep from the Falcons to win the match.

The opening of the third set saw the Falcons take their largest lead of the match. They went up 9-3 behind serves that kept Assumption from transitioning to the attack as smoothly as they had during earlier parts of the match. The Royals would battle back, drawing even at 12-12, but a 5-1 run late would be the true difference maker in the set. Winning a 19-19 sideout, the Falcons would then go on to win four of the next five rallies and take a 24-20 advantage. Escalera put away the game two plays later with a kill along the line, giving Falcons the 25-21 win.

In the fourth set, Assumption took small advantages to slowly build out their lead over the course of the game. A 10-7 lead turned into a 20-14 lead and while Abbotsford managed a late push to make things close, drawing within two points at 23-21, the deficit was much to overcome, giving the Royals and the Marawood-South the 3-1 match victory.

Edgar Tournament

The Falcons defeated Auburndale, split two matches with Rib Lake, and lost to the hosting Wildcats squad to finish 2-2 in the tournament held this past Saturday in Edgar.

The win over the Auburndale Eagles went right down to the wire, with Abbotsford pulling out a narrow 16-14 win in the third and final set after the teams split the first two games. Calley Ruesch led the team with seven kills and four aces, Caylee Clement added four aces of her own and Faith Sperl had a team high eight digs and 21 assists.

In their initial set with Rib Lake, Abbotsford took a 25-20 victory in the first set but then Rib Lake went on to take the next two by a score of 25-20 and 15-13. Ruesch and Oriah Harris each recorded nine kills and Harris’s .261 hitting percentage led the team. Ruesch added three more aces and Sydney Falteisek led the team with 18 digs on defense.

The Falcons suffered their second loss of the day at the hands of Edgar, who won the match in straight sets. The Wildcats dominated the first game, taking a 25-13 win, but the second was a nailbiter in which the host team narrowly escaped with the victory, 29-27. Falteisek led the team with seven kills, Sommer Brodhagen added six of her own and Harris had two blocks during the contest.

In the rematch with Rib Lake, the Falcons would emerge victorious, downing their Marawood-North rivals 25-16 and 25-23. Abbotsford’s offense was clicking on all cylinders, ending the game with a team .393 hitting percentage. Falteisek led the charge with seven kills, Escalera added six of her own and Brodhagen had five kills on just eight attempts.