Lady Jays Volleyball
Varsity Lady Jays Defeat Crofton Warriors
by Rhayna Waldner
The Pierce Lady Jays played the Crofton Warriors at home on Thursday, September 14. After a five-set battle, the Lady Jays came out victorious 3-2.
In the first set, the Lady Jays defeated Crofton 25-17. During this set, Kayla Simmons went on a ten-point serving run to get her team an early lead. Right after the sideout, Brenna Collison was back at the line serving and went on a run for four points. After the sideout, the Lady Jays led the Warriors 14-2. Towards the end of the set, Pierce and Crofton battled back and forth points until the Lady Jays pulled out ahead.
In the second set, the Lady Jays and Warriors were close to start out. At the end of the first six rotations, Simmons was back up to serve and went on a five-point serving run to give Pierce the momentum they needed to finish the set 25-17.
The third set of the game did not go in the Lady Jays’ favor. After going into extra points, they lost the set 24-26. Simmons, Sidney Zimmerer, and Kenzie Moeller all went on serving runs, but the Lady Jays and Warriors were going back and forth points until Crofton pulled out ahead in the end.
In the fourth set of the of the game, the Lady Jays were not able to take Crofton down yet and lost the set 23-25. Crofton and Pierce took turns siding out the entire set after short serving runs. Simmons and Maggie Brahmer each went on a four- and three-point run, respectively. Since the Lady Jays lost this set, the game was forced into a fifth set.
In the fifth and final set of the game, the Lady Jays defeated Crofton 15-9. Zoe Brenden and Simmons went on serving runs this set to give their team the lead they needed to finish strong.
The varsity girls will take the court again on Thursday, September 21, at home against Lutheran High.
Lady Jays Suffer Loss to Battle Creek
by Rhayna Waldner
The Pierce Lady Jays had their first home game on Tuesday, September 12, against the Battle Creek Bravettes. Despite their efforts, the Lady Jays lost the match with set scores of 21-25, 17-25, and 21-25.
In the first set of play, the Lady Jays and Bravettes battled back and forth with many sideouts to keep the score close the entire set. Sidney Zimmerer and Kayla Simmons went on serving runs to help the Lady Jays in this set. Unfortunately for Pierce, Battle Creek was able to pull ahead at the end of the set. The final score for the first set was 21-25.
During the second set, the Pierce went on few serving runs and allowed Battle Creek to go on one that slowed the Lady Jays’ momentum. At the end of the set, the score was 17-25. During the third set, the Lady Jays showed they weren’t going to go down without a fight. Maci Kroupa, Kenzie Moeller, and Simmons all went on runs during this set to help their team come back from an early deficit. Although they fought to come back and win the set, they fell 21-25.
Individually, Maggie Brahmer and Meredith Fasse led the Lady Jays in kills with nine and five, respectively. Simmons had four ace serves and Moeller had three. Fasse had five blocks with Meier right behind her at three. Zimmerer had ten digs, and Kroupa had nine. Moeller led her team in assists with eight, and Simmons followed close behind at five.
The Lady Jays’ next game will be played at home against Lutheran High Northeast on Thursday, September 21. Freshmen, JV, and varsity will all play starting with freshmen at 5:30.
JV Volleyball Falls to Crofton
by Montana Ruppert
The JV volleyball team fell to Crofton in two sets on Thursday, September 14, in a home matchup.
The first set ended with a score of 19-25. In the second set, Pierce came closer to getting the win. They ended the set with a score of 21-25. Tazlynn Sporleder went on a serving run to aid the team’s efforts, but the Lady Jays still fell in the set, giving Crofton their only victory of the night.
Coach Zach Weber said, "We need to be more aggressive against good teams. Crofton is not a team that makes a lot of mistakes; they make their opponents earn their points. We were complacent and made too many errors on our end to win the game."
The JV Lady Jays will take the court again on Thursday, September 21, at home against Lutheran High Northeast.
Freshman Volleyball Team Competes in Norfolk Tournament
by Angelica Volquardsen
The freshman volleyball team played in the Norfolk Public tournament on Saturday, September 16, where they received 5th place overall.
The freshman team played Grand Island Northwest in the first game. The first set resulted in a loss with a score of 5-25. In the second set the Jays took a loss with a score of 8-25.
In their second game, the Lady Jays faced Fremont. The first set resulted in a win with a score of 25-15. In the second set, the Lady Jays won with a score of 25-14 to take the victory.
For their final game of the tournament, the Lady Jays played South Sioux City. In the first set, the Jays won a tight set with a score of 25-23. In the second set, the Lady Jays took the game in dominant fashion, winning 25-12.
The freshman team’s next game will be held on Thursday, September 21, at home against Lutheran High.
Freshman Volleyball Team Defeats Crofton
by Montana Ruppert
The freshman volleyball team beat Crofton in three sets on Thursday, September 14, at home.
The freshman volleyball team played Crofton at home and beat them two out of three sets. The first set Pierce took the win with a score of 25-22. Mikala Stone helped start the Lady Jays off with an early lead by going on a serving run in the beginning of the game. Rhylie Roth went on a run towards the end of the game, gaining the team six points to give them an edge. In the second set, Pierce fell by just a couple points 23-25. Faith Lubischer went on a serving run at the beginning and end of the game to aid Pierce’s efforts. The loss forced the game into a third set, which the Lady Jays won 15-9 to take the game.
The next freshman game will be Thursday, September 21, at Pierce High School against Lutheran High Northeast.
JV Volleyball Team Defeats Battle Creek
by Montana Ruppert
The JV volleyball team played Battle Creek on Tuesday, September 12, at Pierce High School and won two sets out of two.
The JV volleyball team swept the Battle Creek Braves on their home court with a two out of two set win. The first set ended with a score of 25-18.
The second set, Pierce also took the win. This set was closer than the last, but Pierce pulled it out with a score of 25-22.
Coach Zach Weber said, "I was very happy with our approach to this game. We were upbeat and energetic, and it translated into the way we played. We were aggressive when we needed to be and smart when we had to be. I was very pleased with our effort."
The next JV volleyball game will be Thursday, September 21, against Lutheran High Northeast at home.
Freshman Volleyball Team Plays Battle Creek
by Angelica Volquardsen
The freshman volleyball team played Battle Creek Tuesday, September 12, at home. The Lady Jays fell in two close sets.
Going into extra points after an intense back-and-forth, the first set ended with a score of 24-26. The second set ended with a score of 21-25 once again resulting in defeat for the Lady Jays.
The next freshman volleyball game will be held on Thursday, September 21, at home against the Lutheran High Northeast Eagles.
JH Lady Jays Battle Bravettes
by Angelica Volquardsen
The JH volleyball teams played Battle Creek on Thursday, September 15, in Pierce. Both the 7A and 7B teams lost in two sets. The 8A and 8B teams also lost their games in two sets.
The 7th grade A team lost their first set with an ending score of 8-25. The second set of the 7th grade A team ended with a score of 12-25.
The 7th grade B team lost their first set with a score of 7-25. Although it was closer, the team also lost their second set with an ending score of 21-25.
The 8th grade A team lost their first set with a close score of 21-25. The Jays 8th grade A team lost the second set with a score of 13-25.
The 8th grade B team lost their first set with a score of 14-25. They ended the second set with a higher score of 20-25, but still ultimately fell to the Bravettes.
The next JH volleyball game will be held on Thursday, September 28, against Madison.
JH Volleyball Teams Play Wayne
by Angelica Volquardsen
The junior high volleyball teams played Wayne on Wednesday, September 11, at Pierce. The 7th grade A team team won in three sets, the B team lost in three, the 8th grade A team lost in two sets, and the B team lost in two sets.
For the 7th grade A game, the first set ended with a score of 25-5 with the Lady Jays dominating. The second set of team A ended with a score of 25-8, giving the 7A Lady Jays the win. Notably, Morgan Moeller served for 13 points in the first set and 14 points in the 2nd set.
The 7th grade B team then took the court. Their first set ended with a score of 25-23 in favor of the Lady Jays. In the second set, team B lost with an ending score of 25-27. In the last set of the game for team B, the Lady Jays fell 10-15 to take a loss.
For the 8th grade game, the A team’s first set ended with a score of 11-25 with the Lady Jays falling. In the second set of the A game, Lady Jays lost 20-25 despite a seven-point serving run from Kennedy Warneke.
Next up was the 8B team. The first set ended with a score of 6-25, and although the Lady Jays fared better in the second set, they still fell 21-25 to take a defeat.
The next JH volleyball games will be a triangular on Thursday, September 28, at Ponca.
