Abby beats Royals, Wildcats in tourney

Abbotsford hosted half of the Marawood Crossover Challenge this past Saturday. This event pitted three teams from the Marawood-North conference

STAFF PHOTOS/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD

against three teams from the Marawood-South. Abbotsford went 2-1 in their matches against Assumption, Newman Catholic, and Edgar.

All three of their opponents were over .500 overall, with Edgar placed first in the Marawood-South and Assumption and Newman in third and fourth respectively. With Marawood-North leader Athens as one of the other teams invited to the event, five of the six participating schools all brought highly competitive teams to the table, making for some close matches.

Abbotsford had to fight back to get a win against their first opponent, Assumption. After dropping the first set by a score of 20-25, the Falcons bounced back from their slow start and got their offense rolling. Led by 10 kills from Haylee Soyk and seven from Sydney Falteisek, as well as four aces from Calley Ruesch, Abbotsford was able to take the second set 25-18 and the third by a score of 15-9.

The Falcons got off to a hot start against the Newman Fighting Cardinals in their second match of the day. Their fast pace, multi-pronged offense, which utilizes plenty of quick sets, was able to get around Newman’s block early, allowing them to take the first set 25-23. The hosts were poised to win the match in two sets after taking a small lead into the final portions of the second game, but Newman’s defense was up to the task, weathering several aggressive offensive sequences from the Falcons and managing to take the second set by a score of 28-26. The Cards were too much for Abbotsford to handle in the final set, with Newman winning 15-10 and taking the match 2-1.

The Falcons spread the ball around on offense, with Soyk, Falteisek, and Briseida Escalera each recording seven kills and Tatum Bargender adding five of her own. It was an excellent defensive showing from both teams, with Newman finishing with 74 digs and Abbotsford ending with 66. Adriana Fuentes-Rivera led the Falcons in that regard, recording 18 digs, which was followed by Soyk’s 16.

Abbotsford took on the first-place Edgar Wildcats for their final match. Both teams were even throughout much of the match, with the Falcons pulling away 17-11 in the first set but the Wildcats battling back to tie the game at 21-21. A well placed timeout seemed to cut Edgar’s momentum, as Abbotsford scored the next four points. Sommer Brodhagen ended the first set, finally breaking through the Wildcats’ defense on a tough rally and giving the Falcons a 25-21 victory.

After another even back and forth start, Falteisek had two aces in middle portions of the second set to give Abbotsford a 14-11 advantage. Edgar went on a run later to close that gap at 18-18, but Bargender got a clutch kill to get the side out and end the Wildcats’ momentum. Abbotsford would ride out their small lead to the end of the game, eventually taking it on a service error by Edgar, 25-22. This was just the fifth loss of the season for the Wildcats.

The Falcons had ten block assists in just the two sets, with Falteisek contributing to four blocks and Escalera recording three. Escalera and Soyk led the team with five kills each and Brodhagen and Bargender made the most of their chances, going three for seven and three for six on their attack opportunities.

Abbotsford also had their final conference match against Phillips on Tuesday. If the Falcons could capture the victory, it would force a three-way tie for second-place in the Marawood-North. The match didn’t quite turn out that way, however, and the Loggers proved to be the superior team that night, winning in straight sets 25-9, 25-22 and 25-9. Abbotsford has struggled against the top teams in the Marawood-North, resulting in a 2-3 conference record, even though they are well above .500 overall with a 18-13 record.

The Falcons still have two more events before the WIAA playoffs begin. They travel to Edgar this Saturday, Oct. 8, for a tournament and then to Marathon on Tuesday, Oct. 11, where they will play in another Marawood-North vs. Marawood-South crossover event.