Lady Jays Volleyball
Pierce Overpowers Crofton
By Brynn Schwartz
On Thursday, September 20, the Pierce High Bluejays took on Crofton at Crofton High School with Crofton falling 3-2.
The first set out of five went 25-15.
Taking on the lead, Abigail Cone had 21 digs with Ava Knox following behind with 17 digs and Nora Herian with 16 digs.
“Crofton is a very good team and they adjusted well after that first set. I’m proud of the way we fought through adversity and made plays when we needed to. Obviously, there are plenty of areas we need to improve, and we will absolutely be focused on getting better, but it sure feels good to learn and improve from a win,” coach Zach Weber states.
In the second set, Pierce won with a score of 25-23. Herian carried the team with 25 hits and Claudia Riggert with seven hits.
For the third set, Pierce lost 25-21.
“In the first two sets, we were on fire: Our offense battled hard with some amazing kills and we were quick on defense. As the game progressed, we became too comfortable and let ourselves go through the third and fourth sets. That was a wake-up call and we answered by fighting hard in the fifth set to win,’’ Ava Knox, libero on the team, exclaims.
The fourth set went 25-16 in favor of Crofton, but Pierce came back strong, finishing the fifth and final set with a score of 16-14. Skylar Scholting had 47 assists and led the team with three aces.
Pierce will be taking on Lutheran High Northeast on Thursday, September 26.
Sweet Sweep Over Battle Creek
By Josie Painter
On September 17, the Bravettes and the Bluejays played volleyball on the Battle Creek court, and though the Bravettes had home-court advantage, it did nothing to stop the Bluejays from sweeping them off their feet in a 3-0 win.
Pierce narrowly won 25-23 in the first set, pulled out another tough win in the second set 28-26, and used the momentum to finish the last set 25-16.
“I think we did a great job of digging deep in the first two sets. It was definitely a battle, but it shows how far we've come this season already,” senior setter Skylar Scholting says.
Defensively, Abigail Cone led the team in digs with nine. Nora Herian, Ava Knox, Hadley Wragge, Scholting, and Scarlett Babl had eight, seven, six, five, and four, respectively.
Scholting, Claudia Riggert, and Cone each had one block.
On the offensive side, Herian had 19 kills, and following close behind was Cone with 17. C. Riggert had six, and Scholting and Wragge each earned one.
Scholting had 38 assists and C. Riggert one.
For serving, Scholting led the team in aces with three, Herian obtained two, and Riggert and Babl each earned one.
“I’m very proud of the way our team battled through adversity. It was a tough rivalry game on the road, and we found a way to overcome big deficits in the first two sets,” head coach Zachary Weber states. “We would obviously like to play a little cleaner in future matches, but it’s awesome to be able to learn from a sweep against a very good team.”
The Bluejays play again on Thursday, September 26, at Lutheran High Northeast.
C-team Volleyball Battles in a Tournament at Norfolk High
By Charlie Miller
The Lady Jays fought in a tournament against Fremont, Bennington, and Battle Creek on Saturday, September 21.
The first game was against Fremont although everybody battled hard the whole game Pierce ended up losing both sets.
In the next game, Pierce played Bennington which they struggled getting into system with because they had to switch up their rotations due to the setter, Karina Willits, being injured. Bennington had some aggressive serves which gave them a hard time handling them in the first set, which ended up bringing the Bluejays a loss. In the second set, the Pierce team stayed with Bennington so much better and only lost by a few points.
In the third game, the Lady Jays battled against Battle Creek. Both teams went out strong and played aggressively resulting in tough games, but Pierce pushed through and ended up winning both sets.
“I think all the girls played as hard as we could and during the Battle Creek game,” hitter MaKenna Blecher says. “We had a comeback, and it was a fun Saturday.”
The Bluejays ended the day with a 1-2 record.
“The coaches at the end of the day were proud of the girls and how some of them stepped up out of their comfort zone and played something brand new to them,” C-team coach Madison Schuller says.
