Falcons VB second at Nelson Invite
The Abbotsford Falcons volleyball program continues to rack up the wins this season, improving their season record to 15-9 after going 3-2 at home in the Bud and Mary Nelson Invite on Saturday.
It was the second straight week in which Abbotsford made it to the finals of a tournament, and while the Falcons were hoping to defend their 2019 title, there’s still plenty to be happy about with the five matches Abby played.
The Falcons began their title defense with a straight sets loss to a tall and rangy Waupaca squad. Abby dropped a tight first set 21-25, and very nearly forced a third set, but could not get over the hump, falling 26-28.
The Falcons second set saw none of the drama from the first set as Abbotsford whipped through the Colby Hornets 2512, 25-7. That form carried over into their third match of the day, a duel with the Loyal Greyhounds that the Falcons won in two sets, 25-7 and 25-15.
Abby made it three straight wins when they blitzed past the Wisconsin Valley Lutheran Wolves, blasting serves and crushing spikes to make quick work of their opponents, 25-9 and 25-14.
As a result of their wins, the Falcons earned the right for a rematch with Waupaca to retain their title, and for much of the first set, it was up for grabs.
Ultimately, the Falcons dropped the first set 21-25, and that seemed to take the life out of the home team as Waupaca raced out to an early lead in the second, and never looked back, winning the match and the title 25-12.
The stat leaders of the day were sophomore Sydney Falteisek, who finished the tournament with a team high 22 kills. Lydia Carlson was big on offense defense, notching 20 kills and 43 digs.
Haylee Soyk added another 19 kills, and senior Olivia Hammel got it down on both sides of the net, recording 18 kills to 33 digs. Briseida Escalara chipped in with another 11 kills.
Stephany Espino had a team high 50 assists, and Bridgett Pogodzinski added 33 assists. Adriana Fuentes had a busy weekend, finishing with a team high 51 assists.
Athens, 0-3
The Falcons hopes for a Marawood North title took a hit last week Tuesday, Sept. 21, as Abby dropped a three setter to conference rivals.
The Falcons turned in a nervy performance on the road, dumping numerous shots into the net to gift the Bluejays with cheap points.
“This was a tough one that is going to sting for a bit,” Falcons head coach Lee Schreiber said afterwards. “Unforced errors got the best of us. 28 attack errors and several serving errors late in each set were the deciding factors. We were up late in each set and couldn’t finish.”
Even with the Falcons giving the ‘Jays so many points, it was a topsy-turvy match that the ‘Jays barely secured. Each set was hard fought, but the Falcons could not go away as road winners, losing by a final score of that led to a 2325, 22-25 and 22-25.
Leading Abby on the night was senior Olivia Hammel with 14 kills and 23 digs, senior Lydia Carlson with ten kills and 19 digs, and Haylee Soyk with ten more kills.
Sydney Falteisek tallied six kills, Stephany Espino finished with 19 assists and eight digs. Senior Bridgett Pogodzinski had 19 assists and seven digs. Adriana Fuentes recorded 13 digs.
Schreiber remains upbeat on the season and says the Falcons are committed to get better each day and will learn from the loss, put it behind them and focus on the future.
“We have to look ahead, not back,” was Schreiber’s message to the girls. “Right now, it’s stay healthy, and take one match at a time.”
