Abby blasts Chequamegon, falls in tight Gilman match
By Nathaniel Underwood
The Falcons played two matches over the past week, defeating Chequamegon in straight sets in their first conference match of the season while falling to Gilman in a tightly contested game at home. The split ran their record to 6-8 on the season.
Gilman, 3-1
The Falcons faced off against the Gilman Pirates at home last Thursday, hoping to pick up a big win against a team that sat just outside the top-10 in Division 5 in the Week 2 Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association poll. While Abbotsford pushed Gilman hard, the Pirates were able to ride out the storm and came out on top, winning 3-1.
Though the two squads played a number of tight sets, with three of the four sets being decided by two points, the Falcons found themselves in a trailing position for most of the first half of the match. Slow starts in both the first game, where Gilman was able to go up 4-0, and in the second set, where the Pirates opened up a 5-0 lead, put Abbotsford in the difficult position of trying to rally.
The visitors’ advantage did not exceed the initial four points for much of the first set as the Falcons managed to keep themselves in striking distance, but a 4-1 run by Gilman as the game pushed towards its conclusion looked like it would push the Pirates to a victory, allowing them to go up 22-15. However, a pair of big serves from Caylee Clement that the visitors could not handle got Abbotsford back on track. After ceding a point to Gilman, a kill from Celia Schindler followed by a pair of aces courtesy of Faith Sperl brought the Falcons back and tied the game at 23-23.
Marilyn Hammock and Riley Podevels came up with kills to keep the score tied as both teams pushed the 25point mark, but the Pirates were able to score two consecutive points to survive the Abbotsford rally and notched their first win 27-25.
The Falcons were not able to bounce back as easily from their 5-0 deficit in the second set. Gilman dominated the early portions of the game as the home team struggled to find any holes in their defense, eventually going up 12-2. The Pirates took their largest lead of the evening a few plays later, pulling out to a 16-5 advantage, but the Falcons once again rallied. After winning the serve back and with Clement at the service line, they scored seven straight points. An ace from Clement brought the Falcons back within three points at 16-13 and a few plays later they drew within two as Schindler got a key kill for the home team.
That would be all the closer Abbotsford would get in the second set, as Gilman regrouped and outscored them 7-2 over the final nine rallies, eventually winning 25-18.
See ABBY VOLLEYBALL/ Page 21
SERVES UP - Caylee Clement fires over a serve for an ace during the Falcons win in the third set against Gilman. She had four aces total in the match.
STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD
OVER THE BLOCK - Reece Nelson makes a play over the Pirates’ front line during Abbotsford’s match last Thursday. She ended the night with seven kills. STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD Abby volleyball
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Trailing 2-0 and failing to hold a single lead in either game, things looked grim for the Falcons heading into set number three. Still, Abbotsford had been in both games, giving them cause to believe a reverse sweep was not out of the cards.
With Sperl putting up some hard serves to start the third set, the Falcons were able to take their first lead of the match, opening up with three straight points. Abbotsford held that advantage for much of the early game, but Gilman’s defense once again proved difficult to score points against, leading to a 6-0 run for the Pirates and giving them a 12-10 lead. A kill from Sperl finally ended the visitors’ streak, but the Falcons now found themselves playing from behind once again.
With a chance to tie the game at 14, a long rally ensued. When the Pirates managed to come away with the point and maintain their two-point advantage, momentum seemed to have shifted permanently on to Gilman’s side. Following the key rally, the Pirates outscored Abbotsford 4-1 to take a five-point lead, their largest of the set.
The Falcons were not down yet, and an ace from Clement and kills from Reece Nelson and Schindler down the stretch allowed Abbotsford to eventually tie the game at 23-23. After being down 22-18, the Falcons went on to outscore Gilman 7-1 in the sets’ final moments, ending the game on a kill from Nelson.
The roller coaster of momentum continued into the fourth set, with an ace from Sperl giving Abbotsford another 3-0 opening. The Falcons offense looked the most efficient it had all evening in the early portions of the fourth set. The home team continued to pile the pressure on Gilman, and consecutive kills from Hammock and Sperl saw Abbotsford taking a 16-6 lead. A kill from Schindler two rallies later maintained the ten-point advantage, but the big runs that evening were not quite finished yet.
The Pirates went on to score seven straight points, an ace cutting Abbotsford’s lead down to just three. Another kill from Schindler finally got the Falcons back on the board, but Gilman continued to build on their momentum, scoring another four points and tying the game at 18-18. A kill on a free ball a few points later gave the Pirates their first lead of the set, going up 2019 and a pair of consecutive errors by Abbotsford saw that advantage grow to three, capping a back-breaking 15-2 run for Gilman.
The Falcons managed to keep things close at the end, even tying the game at 2222 on a Neveah Treankler ace, but Gilman managed to outlast the home team in the end, sealing the match with a 25-23 win.
Schindler had a season-high 18 kills in the loss. Nelson and Hammock added seven each and Podevels, Sperl and Lauryn Harris all had three kills.
Sperl led the team with five aces and Clement picked up four herself. Schindler and Treankler both had two each. Sperl also had a team-high 32 digs, followed by Podevels who had 27 and Clement, who recorded 17.
Chequamegon, 3-0
The Falcons picked up a win in their first Marawood-North conference match of the season, going on the road to defeat the Chequamegon Screaming Eagles in straight sets.
Abbotsford overpowered their conference foes, racking up 30 kills to the home team’s 17 and coming up with 13 aces across the three sets compared to just three for Chequamegon.
The first set was the closest at the final, with the Falcons coming out on top 25-22, and they only extended their hold over the match as it continued. A 25-17 victory in the second set then gave way to a ninepoint victory to seal Abbotsford 1-0 start in conference play.
Celia Schindler led all players in kills, finishing the evening with 12. She also added two aces. Riley Podevels came through with six more kills and Marilyn Hammock picked up four on a .300 hitting percentage.
Halie Vanluven put together an impressive day from the service area, with six of her 14 serves resulting in an ace. Podevels added three more and Faith Sperl and Neveah Treankler had one each.
On defense, Sperl and Lauryn Harris combined for the Falcons’ only block. Sperl also led the team in digs, finishing the game with 12. Podevels and Schindler dug out eight balls each for Abbotsford and Caylee Clement picked up six more.
