Lady Jays Volleyball
Volleyball Sweeps Their Way Into State
By Charlie Miller
After sweeping Omaha Concordia in three sets, the Pierce volleyball team punched their ticket into the state tournament on November 2, in the district finals.
Starting off the first set, Pierce stomped on the Mustangs 25-16.
The next set Pierce easily won yet again 25-14.
Finally, the last set was 25-16 with the Lady Jays on top.
“We started off super strong, and once we got into a groove we were unstoppable. Our defense and offense were both on a roll, and that truly helped us to keep the lead the whole game. We came to play and it showed; hopefully we keep this momentum for state!” senior defensive specialist Ava Knox commented.
Sophomore Nora Herian led the team in kills with 21. Following behind was Abigail Cone with 10, Claudia Riggert with five, and Skylar Scholting with three.
Riggert ended the day with four assisted blocks, Herian with two, Cone and Hadley Wragge with one each.
For serving, Cone brought down six aces, Scholting had two, Riggert and Emily Endorf with one ace each.
Senior Skylar Scholting led the team in digs with 10. Knox and Herian came in next with eight, Cone with seven, Riggert and Endorf with four, Wragge with two, and Scarlett Babl with one.
The Lady Jays will compete against Milford on Wednesday, November 6, at 1 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.
Pierce High Volleyball Takes a Hard Loss Against Columbus Lakeview
By Savannah Beutler
Taking a hard 4-1 loss against the Columbus Lakeview Vikings in the subdistrict volleyball game held at Pierce on Tuesday, October 29, the Bluejays were fortunate to not have put away their kneepads and shoes, as they claimed one of the class C1 wildcard spots to take them to district play.
In the first set, the Bluejays took the win over Lakeview, 26-24.
Outside hitter Nora Herian led the team with 22 kills. Abigail Cone followed with 16.
“We played against a very good team in Lakeview,” head coach Zach Weber commented. “Unfortunately, they played cleaner than we did at critical times. We will grow from this and move forward.”
The Bluejays, in a tough spot, lost the second set 25-22.
Ava Knox and Herian tied with 16 digs, Cone with 15 and Skylar Scholting ended with 14. Despite the loss of the third set being 32-30, the Bluejays strived with excellence and tried their hardest with the student section cheering them on.
“I think we left a lot on the table,” Scholting states. “We didn't play our best, but we
still battled pretty well. I also think this will give us a lot of motivation for the district final.”
Reaching the end of the game, the Vikings ended the game 25-16.
Bluejays Beat O’Neill Eagles in Four Sets at First Subdistrict Game
By Elizabeth Furstenau
The Bluejays have proved once again that they are the more significant bird. Volleyball subdistricts began Monday, October 28, and the Pierce team took the 3-1 win after four arduous sets.
The Jays put up a good fight, however did not win the first set. The final score of the set was 25-15 in favor of the Eagles.
After a rough set, the Jays took the power back during the second set with a final score of 25-15.
Still pushing through, the Jays kept the lead and ended the third set 25-17.
Then finally the Jays proved their significance in the fourth and final set. The set ended with a 25-14 score. The overall score of the game was 3-1 for the Jays.
“I think we did a lot of things well. There were plenty of things that could have been better,” Weber says. “As we enter into the district final now, we need to put a lot of focus on how well we handle, serve, receive, and serve. Those two things are going to be the difference makers in these games against good teams.”
Leading in kills, once again, was Nora Herian with 20. Close behind was Abigail Cone with 17 kills, Claudia Riggert with eight, Hadley Wragge with five, Skylar Scholting with two, and Ava Knox with one.
“We came out pretty slow, but we bounced back after dropping the first set,” Herian claims. “We didn't let the first set shake us, and we played together well in the next sets.”
Knox led with 12 digs while S. Scholting and Emily Endorf each had 10 digs. Cone provided nine digs, Herian had eight, Riggert had five, Haley Scholting with two, and Hadleigh Collison had one.
Holding onto her crown as setter of the game was S. Scholting with 46 assists.