Colby VB’s on-court education continues

The Colby Hornets volleyball program has made tremendous strides in 2021 both from a team standpoint and from an individual standpoint.

“I have been so pleased with the girls this year, and although our record may not look like it, we have a strong group of girls and can put up a fight,” first year head coach Hannah Engevold says.

That willingness to fight led to one of Colby’s best weeks of volleyball as the Hornets defeated Cloverbelt rivals Owen-Withee and Loyal last week, and picked up more experience at the Edgar Invite over the weekend.

Colby notched a conference victory on Tuesday, Oct. 5, dumping the Owen-Withee Blackhawks at home in three sets. The Hornets took the first set 25-17, and then took the next two 25-18 and 25-16.

Hayden Willner and Savana Thomsen each had three aces. Kya Viegut struck eleven kills, Brett Schmitt recorded 14 digs and Jorja Weiland had 23 assists.

The Hornets carried that form over to their road match with Loyal on Thursday, Oct. 7. Colby took the first set 25-16, but the next two sets were neck and neck.

It was Colby’s attitude, says Engevold, that was the difference on Thursday. “The girls played so well against Loyal. They worked well together and went out with an attitude to win.”

Colby took the second set 25-22, but found itself down 20-13 in the third set, before Engevold took a time-out.

“I called a time out and just told the girls ‘One play at a time. Do what we can control, and score where we can. Serves just need to be in and be low on defense and we will be fine.’” The Hornets went on a big run after the time out to pull away 25-21. Engevold is hoping this is a moment her players won’t soon forget.

“The girls shocked themselves I believe as usually we struggle to finish, but the way we came back was great.”

Brett Schmitt and Sofia Fontoira each had three aces, with Schmitt tallying 21 digs. Hayden Willner and Lydia Decker had six kills, and Kya Viegut finished with seven kills. Jorja Weiland had a team high 25 assists.

Edgar Invite

The Hornets stepped up in class two days later, travelling to Edgar for their final tournament of the season.

Colby had a tough draw to start their Saturday morning, taking on the home team. “We played Edgar right away. We lost both sets, 19-25, 21-25,” Engevold said. “The girls played really well but it just wasn’t enough to win it.”

Colby quickly bounced back in their second match, racing out of the gates for a 25-9 and 25-11 victory over Bruce. Savana Thomsen had six aces, and Brett Schmitt and Jorja Weiland had three apiece. Thomsen and Kennedy Bilz both had three kills and Kya Viegut had four.

The Hornets played Auburndale next, falling in straight sets, 14-25 and 19-25. Thomsen and Schmitt had an ace apiece. Willner had a team high four kills.

The Hornets ended their day with a rematch with Edgar for third. The Wildcats took the first set 25-12, but Colby claimed the second set 25-23. Unfortunately, Colby could not maintain their form, and fell 15-7 in the third to finish in fourth place. Thomsen and Viegut had three aces apiece. Schmitt had ten digs. Willner had six kills, Bilz had eight assists and Decker had with four blocks.

“The girls played really well,” Engevold said. “Some girls were able to play different spots, and it felt good to play Hornet volleyball like I know we can.”