Lady Jays Volleyball
Varsity Volleyball Team Beats Crofton
by McKenna Shonka
The Lady Jays volleyball team traveled to Crofton and took a big win with a score of 3-2 sets on Thursday, September 13.
Pierce dropped two points short to lose the first set 23-25, then came back to win the second set 25-21. Crofton came back to take the third set 15-25; then the Lady Jays tied the match again, winning the fourth set 25-21. In the finale the Lady Jays took the set and the win, 15-11.
Senior Maggie Brahmer had 22 kills for the game, which was a top score for attacking for the Lady Jays. Next was senior Rhayna Waldner with a total of nine kills. With a total of seven kills throughout the game was senior Katrina Meier. Sophomore Faith Lubischer had a total of three kills, and Kayla Simmons added one kill. For serving rate, senior Marie Stone had 100% through the game. Brahmer had a 93.3% serving rate. Leading with digs was Brahmer with 15 and close behind was Kenze Moeller with 3. Meier had a total of 18 blocks throughout the game. Brahmer and Waldner had a total of 11 blocks.
“I'm very proud of our mental toughness. Crofton is a good team, but we found a way to win the fourth and fifth sets. We showed a lot of poise and great leadership during the comeback,” said coach Weber. “Overall I'm happy with our effort in the game. We need to continue to be mentally tough in practices and in games” added Weber.
The next game for the Lady Jays was a tournament in Wisner on Saturday, September 22.
JV Volleyball Defeats Warriors
by Montana Ruppert
The JV volleyball team defeated Crofton in three sets on Thursday, September 13 in Crofton.
The Lady Jays came back from their loss to Battle Creek on Tuesday for the win over the Crofton Warriors. In the first set, the Lady Jays won 25-21.
For the second set, the Lady Jays fell short 19-25.
In the final set, the Lady Jays came back and won 15-11.
Coach Zach Weber said, “I was proud of our girls. We were mentally prepared and physically ready from the first serve. All aspects of our game were clicking. Passing and serve receive continue to be our greatest strengths. We showed a lot of promise in play when the set wasn’t there, and they were aggressive when they needed to be. I like where we’re at, but we need to continue to improve every day.”
The next JV game will be on Tuesday, September 25, at home against LCC.
Freshman Compete in Norfolk Tournament
by Montana Ruppert
The freshman volleyball team played in the Norfolk tournament on Saturday, September 15, where they lost two games and won one game.
For the first game, Pierce played Fremont and lost in two sets.
In the second game, the Lady Jays played Norfolk Catholic and lost.
In the final game, Pierce played Sioux City and won.
Coach Krista Meyer said, “I think that the girls played fairly well for seeing some competition that we don't normally see. Our passing was fantastic also! I can't stress how important defense is to my girls, and as a team we really struggled with that. I see our passing get better with every practice and that definitely showed Saturday.”
The next freshman game will be on Tuesday, September 25, at home against Laurel-Concord-Coleridge.
Freshman Volleyball Team Loses to Crofton
by Kenzie Moeller
The freshman volleyball team traveled to Crofton Thursday, September 13, and lost in three sets.
In the first set Pierce’s Morgan Blecher and Sarah Miller each went on four-point serving runs to give the Lady Jays a win with a score of 25-18. In the second set, Larissa Meier’s four-point serving run for the Lady Jays wasn’t enough to get the win, and the score was 20-25. In the third and final set, the Lady Jays lost with the score of 6-15.
Coach Krista Meyer said, “We started out strong in the first set, coming out with the win. After that, things started not working in our favor. We always try our best to be ready for whoever we come up against. Passing was much better than it has been and continues to get better as we go through the season. I would have liked to see more touches on blocks. Defense will be the name of the game the rest of the season. If we want to win games, we have to step up that part of our game.”
The next freshman game is Thursday, September 20, at Lutheran High Northeast, starting at 5:30 p.m.
JH Lady Jays Battle Braves
by Tazlynn Sporleder
Pierce Junior High volleyball teams played Battle Creek September 13. The 8th grade girls played best out of five sets. Pierce A team won three sets, and Pierce B team played one set and lost.
In the first set the A team played and lost 22-25. Brielle Unseld started the Lady Jays off strong and went on an eight-point serving run with three aces during the run. Later on in the set Raegan Theisen went on a three-point serving run with an ace.
In the second set the Pierce B team played and struggled to get points in a 1-25 loss.
In the third set the A team played and won 26-24. Morgan Moeller went on a three-point serving run swith two aces and later in the game a four-point serving run with one ace. Later in the set Ella Gaes went on a five-point serving run with one ace.
In the fourth set the A team played and won 25-22. Unseld started the game off with a three point serving run with an ace. Later on in the set Gaes went on a four-point serving run.
In the fifth set the A team played again and won 15-13. Unseld started the game with a four point serving run. Later on in the set Gaes went on a three-point serving run with an ace.
Coach Angie Schroeder says the game was played with enthusiasm, intensity, perseverance, and lots of communication. There was a lot of keeping the spirits up when the team was down. Strengths of the game were serving, communication and teamwork.
The 7th grade team lost to Battle Creek in a hard fought two sets. In the first set the score was 19-25. Early in the set Trina Wetzel went on a five-point serving run with four aces.
In the second set the Lady Jays struggled and lost 9-25.
Coach Katie Brummels said, “The setters stepped up into their new positions and did well. It was a rough game for us. We started out strong, but then a lot of missed serves and a lack of being aggressive hurt us. I’m ready to get back to practice and fix things before our next game.”
Their next game is Thursday, September 27 against Madison at Madison.
