Chieftains trying different things against big teams
Junior Abby Jones taps the ball over the net for her Lake Holcombe team, as they hosted Birchwood in a battle for the win Sept. 12. Photo by Ginna Young
By Ginna Young
Lake Holcombe’s volleyball program reeled in two conference wins over the week, along with gaining valuable experience against larger teams.
Sept. 9 vs. Alma-Pepin non-conference (L 2-0) Heading to Elmwood for a weekend tournament, Lake Holcombe first met Alma-Pepin, but couldn’t come up with the win, dropping the match in two sets, 25-10.
“This tournament provided an opportunity for us to try some new things in the lineup,” said coach Beth Meddaugh.
Sept. 9 vs. Frederic non-conference (L 2-0) Frederic was next on the schedule, but the Chieftains also fell to them in two sets, 25-22 and 25-14.
Sept. 9 vs. E.C. Immanuel non-conference (L 2-0) Following that, E.C. Immanuel was Lake Holcombe’s opponent, who walked away with a 25-14 and 25-6 victory over the Chieftains.
Sept. 9 vs. Luck non-conference (L 2-0) To finish out the day, the Chieftains went up against Luck, but couldn’t pull out the win, dropping the sets in 25-18 and 25-8.
Senior Ava Story and sophomore Alexia Hoffner led on digs for the weekend, with 17, and Story and junior Abby Jones each notched 10 kills, while junior Emmy Kirkman finished with 14 assists.
“The girls worked hard against some big teams,” said Meddaugh. “It was a great day for learning.”
Sept. 12 vs. Birchwood conference (W 3-1) Lake Holcombe then hosted Birchwood for a league match-up.
“Everyone contributed to some great points in this match,” said Meddaugh.
Taking the first set, 25-11, the Chieftains couldn’t pull out the win in the second set, with a 25-19 loss. Lake Holcombe battled back to take the next two sets for the victory, 25-14 and 25-19.
“The team played well tonight,” said Meddaugh. “There was a team high 25 ace serves in this match and overall, serving was greatly improved from past games.”
Junior Chloe Lee led on digs, with 15, with senior Ella Hartzell coming away with 14, while Story had 6 kills, followed by Jones and freshman Payton Birkenholz, with 5. Kirkman and Lee followed that up with 6 assists, while Hartzell and Kirkman had 6 aces.
“I’m very happy with how this team came together and found their fire tonight,” said Meddaugh.
Sept. 14 vs. Bruce conference (W 3-0) The Chieftains then faced Bruce on the road, where they made quick work of the Raiders in three sets, 25-15, 25-21 and 25-20.
Senior Abby Kane captured 9, with Story right behind, for 8, while Lee and Kirkman each added 9 assists, and Hartzell and Kirkman each had 11 digs on the night.
“The team played well tonight,” said Meddaugh. “We saw good passing and coverage on defense, and solid attacks and assists on offense.”
