Abby wins share of Marawood-North title

Heading into their final two matches of their conference schedule, the Abbotsford Falcons volleyball team controlled their own destiny. Despite a loss to Rib Lake earlier in the season, if the Falcons could win out, they would be able to claim at least a share of the Marawood-North conference title. However, it would be far from easy, with defending champs Phillips and a top-10 ranked Prentice squad still left to play. It would also require a late season turnaround, as the squad had gone 2-8 over their last 10 matches.

While the odds may have been stacked against them, the Falcons came out to play against their conference rivals. They got the ball rolling with a 3-1 upset of the Loggers at home, dealing Phillips their second conference loss of the season and officially knocking them out of contention for a repeat title. They then went on the road to face off against Prentice in what would be a battle for the championship. Abbotsford once again proved resilient and, in a match that went right down to the wire, the Falcons came out on top, ending the Buccaneers unbeaten streak in the conference and tying themselves at the top of the conference with a 4-1 record.

The impressive final push netted the Falcons their first conference championship since 2019.

“It honestly means a lot to me and the team,” head coach John Kreeger said of winning the Marawood-North title. “I think a lot of people counted us out when we had to replace six starters, but the team showed up and worked to get better each day. I couldn't be more proud of the progress they have shown throughout the year.”

Finding their footing late in the season was key for the Falcons down the stretch and is something that Kreeger hopes they can continue as the postseason rapidly approaches.

“I believe the team is starting to grow,” he said. “We had issues early in the season and during our losing skid finishing matches. We would hit tough patches and lose belief in ourselves, and the change at the end of the season is just their growth in believing in themselves and each other. We can compete with anyone.”

“This team has shown perseverance and it feels like they are peaking at the right time,” Kreeger added.

The pair of victories set up a showdown with the Marawood- South champion Stratford Tigers on Tuesday night for the Marawood-North/South crossover event.

Stratford, 3-0

The Falcons could not get into a rhythm against a vaunted Stratford squad in the crossover match between the two conference champs. The Tigers, who boast a 28-3 record, are ranked fourth in the state in Division 4, and demonstrated why in Tuesday night’s match. Stratford managed to keep the Falcons on the backfoot for much of the evening, giving Abbotsford little room for error. The Marawood-South champs would sweep the match, winning all three sets by a score of 25-15.

While aces from Faith Sperl and Celia Schindler would give Abbotsford early leads in all three sets, the Falcons could not quite maintain momentum from those plays. A 4-2 lead in the third set brought on by Schindler’s serve was the largest that Abbotsford held all evening.

While the Falcons struggled to break through Stratford’s defense in a consistent fashion, errors from the service line also hurt them throughout the match, cutting momentum before it could be gained. While Abbotsford managed to play Stratford evenly during the beginning and ends of sets, runs for the Tigers in the middle of the game would allow them to build up solid leads that would eventually end in doubledigit victories for Stratford.

The loss in the final match of the season put Abbotsford’s final regular season record at 11-17.

Prentice, 3-2

The decider match between Abbotsford and the Prentice Buccaneers needed all five sets to determine a winner. After jumping out to a huge two set lead, the Falcons were able to bounce back from a rally from the home team to take the fi-

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BATTLE AT THE NET - Faith Sperl tips the ball over the Stratford block in the crossover game on Tuesday. STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD Marawood-North champs

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nal set and earn their share of the Marawood-North title.

Abbotsford surprised the Buccaneers early, going right at their conference rivals in the first set. The Falcons managed to build out some breathing room as the game neared its conclusion, holding a five point lead as it entered the final rallies. A timely block from Marilyn Hammock put Abbotsford up 23-17 and Reece Nelson finished things off with a kill from the left side to give the visitors a 25-19 win.

The Falcons built on that momentum in the second set, using a big run in the middle game to open up a huge lead over their hosts. With the Buccaneers scrambling, Abbotsford did not let up and Nelson once again finished the job, scoring the final point in a 25-13 blowout.

Despite the lopsided nature of the second set, Prentice did not surrender and was rewarded for their perseverance. The Buccaneers managed to grab a win in the third set, 25-19, before swinging the momentum of the match fully back to them after defeating the Falcons 25-18 in the fourth set.

A big block from Schindler gave Abbotsford the first points of the tiebreaker and the Falcons would not look back. Hallie Vanluven delivered the final blow for Abbotsford, blowing a spike past the Prentice defense and sealing a 1510 win for the Falcons.

Schindler led the team with 14 kills in the victory while Nelson added eight and Hammock had seven more in a balanced attack for the Falcons. Sperl picked up five of Abbotsford’s 12 aces and led the team in digs with 19. Hammock also had two solo blocks.

Phillips, 3-1

The Falcons managed to weather a 25-kill performance from Phillips’s Mataya Eckert as they defeated the Loggers 3-1 in an important conference matchup.

While the visiting Phillips squad had a slight edge while on the attack, recording 40 kills and a .138 hitting percentage to Abbotsford’s 38 kills and .113 hitting percentage, the Falcons dominated from the service area. Abbotsford racked up 18 aces over the four sets played while holding the Loggers to just five.

The first three sets were all tightly contested. With the score knotted up at 23-23 in the opening game, Schindler came through with a clutch kill to give Abbotsford a chance at set point. Hammock followed the play up with a block that sealed the Falcons’ win and put them up 1-0. While the Loggers were able to take another back-andforth game 25-22 to even things up, the Falcons were able to come out on top in the third set.

With the score knotted at 24-24, an ace from Sperl turned the tide to the Falcons. The Buccaneers were able to hold on, but a kill from Hammock set up Abbotsford with another game point. Schindler delivered with another ace and Abbotsford notched the 27-25 win.

While the fourth set looked initially to be another closely contested one, a huge 13-2 run from the Falcons turned it into a blowout. Vanluven delivered the final point of the run, blocking Eckert to win the game 25-13 and the match 3-1.

Schindler picked up five total aces in the victory while Sperl and Caylee Clement added four more each. Schindler also had the most kills for the squad, picking up 13 over the course of the match. Riley Podevels had eight kills herself and Nelson put together a seven kill performance.

BACK ROW ATTACK - Celia Schindler sends across a spike from the back court against Stratford on Tuesday. STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD