PHS Volleyball
Pierce Claims Second at Wakefield Tournament
By Lawson Zierke
The Pierce Bluejays continued their winning ways at the Wakefield Invitational volleyball tournament in Wakefield on Saturday, September 13, winning two out of their three games on Saturday. They played Elkhorn Valley, Lyons-Decatur Northeast, and Laurel-Concord-Coleridge.
In the first game of the day, Pierce defeated Elkhorn Valley 2-1. Pierce won the first set 25-17, and they took a tough loss in the second set 25-19. They bounced back in the third set, winning 25-14.
In their second game of the day, the Bluejays defeated Lyons-Decatur Northeast 2-0. Pierce won the first set 25-14, and the second set 25-12.
Pierce found themselves in the championship match, and they were up against undefeated Laurel-Concord-Coleridge. The Bluejays fought hard but fell just short, 2-1. In the first set, Pierce won a very competitive set 26-24. In the second set, the Bluejays lost a hard-fought set 25-23. In the final set of the match, the Bluejays lost 25-19 to finish second in the tournament.
“We did a lot of things really well this weekend, and we are aware of how far we still have to go. It’s a good group, and I’m excited to see how they handle the coming weeks,” head coach Zach Weber said.
Catch the volleyball team on Thursday, September 18, at home.
Pierce Dominates at Wakefield
By Charlie Miller
The volleyball team competed in the Wakefield Tournament on Thursday, Sept. 11, playing four matches, going 8-3 in matches during the entire tournament.
In the first game of the day against Tekamah-Herman, in the first set, Pierce defeated the Tigers 25-11, along with the second set 25-13.
Adrienne Riggert provided three ace serves and five digs, Emily Endorf hit two ace serves and picked up three digs, Abigail Cone had nine digs and one ace, and Josie Painter had eight digs and one ace.
“We played really well against Tekamah-Herman. I thought we did a good job of transitioning from defense to offense, and we won the serve and pass battle. It was a good match for us,” head coach Zach Weber said about the team’s performance.
For the last game of the day on Thursday, Pierce won 2-0 against Cedar Catholic. In the first set, the Bluejays finished with a 25-16 and went 25-20 in the second set.
Nora Herian had 10 kills and seven digs. Cone provided seven kills and five digs, Endorf and Lydia Cone contributed two kills.
“I think we played well as a team against Cedar Catholic,” senior middle hitter Naomi Sullivan said. “This would be the second time we played them, so we didn’t go in blind this time; we had great defensive performances.”
Bluejays volleyball will next play against Crofton on Thursday, Sept. 18.
