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Abby bounces Hornets in first round

Abby bounces Hornets in first round Abby bounces Hornets in first round

For the second time this season, the Abbotsford Falcons and the Colby Hornets faced each other in a best of five match. The first time was a non-conference game, the prize of winning mostly residing in the realm of bragging rights. The stakes were much higher Tuesday evening. The victors would be awarded the right to stay on the court for at least one more night. The losers would see their 2022 season come to a close. In a winner-takes-all rematch, only one team would walk away with a ticket to the second round of the WIAA playoffs.

The Falcons came into the evening with a 21-15 overall record in the regular season, though they went 2-3 in the tough Marawood-North conference. As the sixth seed, they played host to the 11th seeded Hornets, who had finished with an 8-18 overall record but a 4-3 record in the Cloverbelt-East. When the two teams had played each other earlier in the season, the Falcons came out on top of a closely contested 3-1 match. This time, the Falcons would sweep the crosstown Hornets in three straight sets, winning by scores of 25-16, 25-22 and 26-24.

Abbotsford came out of the gates firing on all-cylinders in the first set and Colby struggled to match the pace of the Falcons early. With Briseida Escelara at the service line, the home team scored the game’s first nine points. The Hornets struggled to set up their hitters and Abbotsford took advantage, using easy receives to set up quick attacks around Colby’s blockers. The lead stretched to 13-1 for the Falcons, and while that was the largest it would get, it was enough to handle the small comeback from the Hornets. It was a tough start for a visiting team that has struggled to get going early at times this season.

“This game takes way more mental toughness than most people think,” Colby head coach Wade Oemichen said. “Once we get settled and focused we are as good as any team out there. Sometimes it just takes us a while to find that zone.”

Haylee Soyk finished the first game off with a changeup that found the floor in the middle of the Hornets’ defense.

After notching their first win 25-16, the Falcons once again looked strong early in set number two. Some tough serves from Sydney Falteisek and Sommer Brodhagen helped spur the early momentum for Abbotsford, taking a 3-2 advantage and expanding it to a 16-5 lead. Colby would stop the bleeding and Harrison Schmitt would serve two consecutive aces to bring the score to 20-12, but a service error would cut the rally short. The Hornets weren’t out yet, however, and some solid defense coupled with good serving from Savana Thomsen and hitting errors from the Falcons allowed Colby to battle back in the match. The visitors managed to bring the score back within two, but Abbotsford once again survived, taking the set when Brodhagen surprised the Hornets with a setter dump on the final rally of the game.

The early offense in the first two sets was a welcome sight for Falcons head coach John Kreeger, though he acknowledged that there was still some work to be done in maintaining those leads.

“I was very happy with the fast start; we have started slow most of the season,” he said following the match. “As far as holding on to those leads, there are two things we need to do. Stay aggressive; we get those leads playing at our speed and it’s on me to make adjustments sooner. Colby did a great job working back into the match by changing up from what we were expecting.”

Needing a change of pace and some extra firepower on the front lines, Colby switched their tactics. Hayden Willner, who had been playing libero in the first two sets, donned her regular jersey for the third set of the evening, assuming a new role as a hitter and blocker for the Hornets. The adjustment seemed to work well for the visitors, who took their first lead of the match 5-4.

That lead was short-lived, however, as the Falcons quickly tied the game and then overtook Colby on the following rally. The visitors kept it close, but big hits from Falteisek and Calley Ruesch on consecutive points helped the Falcons build an 18-12 lead. Daelyn Rieck answered with a huge spike of her own on the following rally, but Falteisek slammed the door with another hard hit down the middle.

Given the flow of the game, it seemed possible that Colby might not even reach the 20-point mark, but the Hornets were not about to let their season end without a fight. They’d battle back to bring the game within one, going on a 10-5 run late in the game to bring the score to 23-22. Falteisek once again was a rally killer, bringing her team one point away from victory on a tip that found its way to the floor. Thomsen came through with a big kill for Colby on the following point and a tough serve from Tori Underwood helped tie the game at 24-24.

Falteisek had one final blow to deliver to the Hornets in set number three. After the Falcons regained the lead on a sideout, she delivered the proverbial nail in the coffin on a powerful serve that was too difficult for the Colby defenders to handle. Abbotsford took the third set 2624, adding another page to the story of the 2022 Falcons while closing the book on Colby’s season.

“I saw a team that did not succumb to the pressure,” Kreeger said of his team’s performance in their first round victory. “Colby came back really nicely in set two and we could have let that affect us in set three, but everyone stayed engaged and focused and closed out when we needed to.”

“Abbotsford is a very talented team and came out well focused,” Oehmichen said later. “I credit it to the girls and their coach Mr. John Kreeger and his assistant coach, Mrs. Codee Peterson.”

With a first round victory in hand, the Falcons will travel to Auburndale to face the third-seeded Eagles this Thursday, October 20. The two teams met in the Edgar tournament just two weekends ago. Auburndale won the best-of-three match in straight sets, but both games were pushed past the 25-point mark. The teams seemed evenly matched then, so the Thursday evening confrontation has the potential to be another closely contested game.

“Auburndale did some really nice things against us at the Edgar Invite,” Kreeger said. “The big key for us is to play how we want to play. We want to go fast and when we do that, we can play with anyone. Staying aggressive and not getting complacent will be the things we talk about leading into the match.”

“We have made some huge strides this season and I couldn’t be more proud,” he added. “I asked this team to change everything about the way they played and to put the team first and they did it without question. They believe in each other and I believe in them. This team has not hit their peak yet, but it’s going to be really fun to watch once they do.”

Meanwhile, the Hornets saw their season come to an end Tuesday night. The team faced adversity throughout the season but managed to play through it to finish tied for third in the conference.

“Our season has been plagued with injuries, keeping us on our toes by alternating lineups,” Oehmichen said. “I give all the credit to the girls for their ability to adapt to multiple positions in short order.”

“While we are losing six seniors from our program, who all contributed greatly to the team, we do have a very young core that gained some valuable game experience this season,” Colby’s head coach added. “I expect us to drastically improve over the coming years and with how talented our JV team was this year, we have a very bright future.”


FALCONS FIREPOWER - Sommer Brodhagen, left, gets ready to serve. Calley Ruesch (3), right, goes up against a block from Savana Thomsen (18).STAFF PHOTOS/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD

PLAYOFF FOCUS -Hayden Willner and her teammates prep for Abbotsford’s serve during the third set of Tuesday evening’s match. After going down by six, 11th seeded Hornets came back in the set, but Abbotsford managed to hold them off to claim the 26-24 victory. STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD
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