Stellar season advances Chiefs to second Regional
Cornell senior Jayda Turchen can sense the victory against Owen-Withee Oct. 19, in the first of round of playoffs. The Chiefs zipped through the Regional sets, 3-0, to advance to the next level. Photo by Ginna Young
By Ginna Young
Heading into the post-season with an undefeated conference record and the regular season crown, Cornell’s volleyball program earned hosting duties for first-round Regionals, then were away for the second round.
Oct. 19 vs. Owen-Withee (W 3-0)
As the No. 8 seed in their Division 4 bracket, Cornell played host to the Owen-Withee Blackhawks, the No. 9 seeded team.
It was a tough first set in the opening round of Regional action, as the Chiefs fell behind early on.
“At one point, the score was 18-9,” said coach Amy Lorenzen. “Bralee Schroeder (sophomore) entered the game and served tough to light the spark. And from then on, nothing was going to stop the Chiefs.”
Cornell rebounded to take the first set win, 25-20, and went on to claim the remaining sets in quick wins, 25-15 and 25-16.
“It was a whole team effort that took us to the second round of Regionals,” said Lorenzen. “The teammates on the bench wanted the win just as much as the girls out on the court and their energy really helped take the win.”
On the night, junior Michayla Turchen notched 14 kills, 2 aces and 14 digs, followed by senior Jayda Turchen, with 10 digs and 7 aces. Sophomore Makya Heatherington chipped in with 5 kills and 8 assists, and sophomore Brooke Anderson had 12 digs and 3 aces.
Oct. 21 vs. Turtle Lake (L 3-0)
Moving on to the second round of Regional action, the Chiefs and their fans loaded buses, and hit the road for a match-up with No. 1 Turtle Lake. There, in front of a packed house, thanks to a Cornell Spirit Club sponsored fan bus, the Chiefs had their hometown’s full support.
The Lakers proved to be a tough opponent, with Cornell dropping the first and second sets, 25-9 and 25-8. The Chiefs rallied in the third set, leading early on before Turtle Lake came back to tie the game, 10-10.
“We were able to get hits through their strong block and find their open spots on the court,” said Lorenzen. “Turtle Lake was able to get the momentum back and ended up taking the set, 25-13. In the end, I think we were outmatched in height, which made it very challenging for us to put our offense together.”
For Cornell, sophomore Brooke Sime had 11 digs and 1 kill, while J. Turchen added 1 ace, 2 kills and 7 digs. Anderson finished with 8 digs and only 1 error out of 8 serves. M. Turchen added 3 kills and 5 digs.
To round out the stats, Heatherington had 4 assists and 7 digs.
The Chiefs now say goodbye to J. Turchen, as well as senior Teaira Spaeth, both of whom were strong leaders on the court.
“We want to send a huge thank you to the Spirit Club and all those who were involved in making the fan bus a possibility,” said Lorenzen.
