Confidence is growing each time for Chieftains

While they’re still finding out who they are as a team, the Lake Holcombe volleyball program is making strides on the court. Aug. 28 vs. Spring Valley non-conference (L 0-2) The Chieftains were on the road to Boyceville, for a quad against some tough teams. The first match was with Spring Valley, but Lake Holcombe saw the game go the way of their opponents, in two sets, 25-6 each. Aug. 28 vs. South Shore non-conference (W 2-1) Next up, was South Shore, where the Chieftains took the first set, 25-15, but dropped the second set, 25-18. They rallied and came up with the win in the third set, 15-12. Aug. 28 vs. Boyceville non-conference (L 0-2) Finally, Lake Holcombe faced off with the host team, but were outmatched in two sets, 25-21 and 25-11. Sept. 2 vs. New Auburn conference (L 0-3) The Chieftains were then on the road at New Auburn, but two sets were out of their reach, 25-7 and 25-5. The third set was a nail biter, but Lake Holcombe watched the Trojans take the win, 26-24. Sept. 4 vs. Winter conference (L 3-1) A couple days later, the Chieftains were at home against Winter, struggling in the two opening sets, 25-23 and 25-15. Lake Holcombe rallied to take a 25-23 victory in the third set, but the Warriors wouldn’t go down and claimed the final set, 25-16. Sophomore Jayna Erickson finished the night with 5 kills, 9 assists and 2 aces, while junior Claire Jankee had 7 kills, 3 aces and 2 blocks. Senior Alexia Hoffner had 18 digs and 4 aces, with junior Payton Birkenholz notching 6 kills, and junior Chloe Irwin adding 10 digs, 5 kills and 2 blocks. “Even though we did have a loss last night, I could already see growth and confidence from our last conference match-up,” said coach Amy Lorenzen. Sept. 6 vs. Frederic non-conference (L 0-2) The Chieftains then headed to Chippewa Falls, for a weekend tournament, facing Frederic in the first battle. Lake Holcombe made the sets close, but couldn’t pull off the win, watching their opponents take the matches, 25-21 and 25-22. Sept. 6 vs. Clayton non-conference (W 2-1) Next up, was Clayton, where the Chieftains hit their stride, taking the first set, 26-24. Clayton battled back to claim the second set, 25-22, but Lake Holcombe wouldn’t be denied and won the final set, 15-13. Sept. 6 vs. Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau non-conference (L 0-2) They then took on Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau, dropping the sets, 18-15 and 25-9. Sept. 6 vs. Ellsworth non-conference (L 0-2) Their last opponent of the day, was Ellsworth, who won in two sets, 25-13 and 25-17.