Colby eliminated by Panthers
By Nathaniel Underwood
The Colby Hornets volleyball team saw their postseason run come to a close earlier than they would have hoped after falling in heart-breaking fashion to the Durand-Arkansaw Panthers 3-2 in their second-round match-up last Thursday. The fourth-seeded Hornets looked like they were going to give the visiting five-seed more than they could handle, but Durand-Arkansaw recovered from a 2-0 deficit to remove Colby from playoff contention with a reverse sweep.
It was familiar ground for the Hornets, who have gotten out to hot starts in their three most recent best-of-five matches. In the two prior to Thursday’s contest, Colby found themselves on both sides of the final result. The Hornets had jumped out to a 2-0 lead over Gilman in their final conference match of the season two weeks prior, only to have the Pirates rally and claim a 3-2 win. Then, in the Cloverbelt-East/West crossover game against McDonell, the Macks were able to force a fifth set after falling behind 2-0. However, Colby was able to take home the victory after winning the tiebreaker 15-11. It was a similar story on Thursday against Durand-Arkansaw, but unfortunately for the Hornets, the final script more closely resembled the match against Gilman.
It appeared that Colby had quickly figured out the Panthers. Excellent serving from the Hornets put the visitors on the back foot early on, resulting in either aces or errors by Durand- Arkansaw. While the Panthers were able to keep things close and took the first significant lead in the first set, going on a five-point run to go up 15-11, it would be all Colby following the run.
Durand-Arkansaw could not handle a pair of serves from Hannah Trush, bringing Colby back within one, and a tip from Thomsen tied the game at 16-16. A hitting error on the Panthers on the next rally gave Colby the lead and the Hornets never looked back. A pair of aces from Tori Underwood helped them expand their lead out to 22-17 and consecutive blocks from Brynn Polivka and Harrison Schmitt had Colby looking at their first set-point. A few rallies later, a hit from Polivka found the floor in the back corner of the Panthers’court to seal the Hornets first win of
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CLOSE PLAY - Daelyn Rieck tips the ball on a play at the net.
STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD Hornets volleyball
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the match.
Colby rode the momentum of their win into the second set. Two consecutive aces from Underwood gave them a 5-3 lead and a big block from Polivka and a kill from Daelyn Rieck had them up 12-5 later in the set. The visitors managed a run of their own to pull back within three, but Rieck came up with a kill to stem the tide. Colby’s lead fluctuated between three and six points over the midgame, but neither team was able to make a decisive run. After Durand-Arkansaw had managed to pull back within three once more at 22-19, Rieck came through once again for the Hornets, this time with a block. Lilly Brzezinski followed with a kill on the next rally and Rieck ended it with a monster hit down the line, giving Colby their second 25-19 win of the evening.
An early 6-0 Hornets run capped off by another ace from Underwood allowed Colby to take a 7-3 advantage in the opening of the third set. The Panthers did not disappear after falling behind early, but a kill from Rieck, an ace from Schmitt and a kill on an overpass by Polivka on consecutive rallies gave them a 12-7 lead.
The final play looked like it might once again shift momentum in favor of the Hornets, but five errors by Colby over the next six rallies allowed Durand-Arkansaw to take a 13-12 advantage. The errors continued to pile up for the Hornets as the game moved past the 15-point mark and the Panthers began to attack more consistently through the middle, a move that would change the course of the match. Colby could do little to stop Durand-Arkansaw middle hitter Addison Auth and the Panthers went on a 10-1 run to close out the third set, winning 25-16.
The shift in strategy continued into the fourth set as the visitors continued to feed Auth in the middle, taking a 6-3 lead. Blocks on the outside would help the Hornets back into the set and they briefly took a 7-6 lead on a block by Polivka and Trush. A ball-handling error by Durand-Arkansaw later in the game gave Colby a 13-10 lead, but the tide quickly turned back to the Panthers favor. A kill from Rieck finally ended a 5-0 run for the visitors, but the damage had been done. Attacks through the middle and blocks for Durand-Arkansaw continued to pile up as they opened up a 22-15 lead late in the set. A setter dump from Thomsen ended the run but the Panthers continued to push through for their second 25-16 victory.
A kill from Thomsen and an ace from Rieck gave Colby a 2-0 lead in the fifth set, but Durand-Arkansaw quickly knotted up. Neither squad was able to gain a significant advantage over the opening rallies, the two-point lead for Colby the largest in the first half of the final set. A kill for Rieck tied the game at 9-9 and a tip at the net from Brzezinski found the floor in the middle of the Panthers’ defense to put the Hornets ahead by one. Schmitt came up with a solo block on the next rally and Durand-Arkansaw could not handle a powerful serve from Rieck that gave them the largest lead of the set so far.
Up three and only needing three more points to move on, the Hornets looked to have finally retaken control of the match. However, just as they had done to get to this point, the Panthers had one final push in them. They once again turned to Auth in the middle and the senior delivered for the visitors, getting a critical score to halt Colby’s run. Two more kills from Auth tied the game and the Panthers won a play at the net to go ahead 13-12. Momentum had completely shifted against the Hornets and they could not regroup. A block from Durand-Arkansaw and then close play on an overpass by the Panthers went the visitors’ way, capping off a 6-0 run to win the match and bounce Colby from the playoffs.
While the Hornets had one of their best games serving and at the net, recording 16 aces and 11 blocks, their hitting slowed in the latter half of the match and they could not find an answer to Auth in the final three sets. The Panthers’ senior middle hitter ended the game with 25 kills and a .435 hitting percentage in her best performance of the season.
Durand-Arkansaw finished with 12 more kills and 10 fewer hitting errors, which ultimately undid the Hornets' major advantage from the service line, where they had 14 more aces.
Polivka had an impressive eight block performance, recording two solo blocks and assisting on six more. Schmitt and Thomsen had three block assists each and Brzezinski and Trush were both in on two blocks themselves. Underwood led the team with six aces, Rieck and Thomsen had three apiece and Schmitt and Trush each had two.
Rieck ended the match with 13 kills, Schmitt and Brzezinski came up with eight each and Polvika had five. Rieck and Thomsen led the team in digs, recording 23 and 18 respectively.
The 2024 Hornets went 24-8 in the regular season and 5-2 in the Cloverbelt-East, finishing behind the 7-0 Columbus Catholic Dons.
PLAYOFF BOUT - Harrison Schmitt wins a tight play at the net in the Hornets’ loss to Durand-Arkansaw.
STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD
CALCULATED STRIKE - Brynn Polivka finds a hole in the Panthers defense last Thursday night.
STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD
