Colby sweeps Spencer, falls to Pirates late at home
By Nathaniel Underwood
The Colby Hornets volleyball team split their final two conference matches of the season, defeating Spencer in straight sets last Tuesday before falling at home against Gilman later in the week. The Hornets will finish the season with a 5-2 record in the Cloverbelt-East, behind the first place undefeated Columbus Catholic Dons and tied with the Loyal Greyhounds.
Gilman, 3-2
The evening could not have started off much better for Colby last Thursday night, as they jumped out to a two set lead over the visiting Gilman squad. The Pirates did not go down without a fight, however, and after taking a close third set, they managed to outlast the Hornets down the stretch, completing the reverse sweep with a 15-10 victory in the final set.
The Hornets had the advantage in offensive firepower, recording 65 kills in the match compared to Gilman’s and led by an impressive performance from Daelyn Rieck, who ended the evening with 28 kills. However, their aggressive play at the net also turned into their downfall, as Colby had over twice as many hitting errors as their opponents, finishing with 35 errors to just 17 for the Pirates. The Gilman defense also recorded an impressive 10 total blocks over the course of the match.
Some solid serving from Hannah Trush allowed the Hornets to take a 4-0 lead to open the match. Colby maintained that lead for much of the opening of the first set and two consecutive kills from Rieck allowed them to open up a 14-9 advantage and prompted a timeout from the Pirates. The stoppage turned out to be just what Gilman needed as they scored six points in a row to take their first lead. The two squads battled back and forth, but the Pirates held a slight lead heading into the final rallies. Two big kills from Rieck tied the game at 24-24 and then at 25-25 and plays from Lilly Brzezinski and Rieck allowed the Hornets to score three points in a row and take the first set 27-25.
Rieck picked up right where she left off in the second set, earning a kill and an ace to give Colby a 2-0 lead. They continued to build upon that opening through the midgame, eventually going up a 16-9 on kill from Dakota Hoeper. The Pirates once again made a run to come back late, getting within a point of the Hornets at 21-20. A kill from Rieck pushed back the rally from the Pirates and Harrison Schmitt closed the door with a kill to win the second set 25-22.
Neither team held more than a two-point advantage through the start of the third set. The Pirates were the first to push their lead past that barrier, winning points on an ace, a block and a play at the net on an overpass that gave them an 18-15 lead. A kill from Rieck brought the small run to an end and the Hornets were able to knot things back up at 18-18 on an error by Gilman. However, the visitors still managed to keep the upper hand in the back half of the set and reached set point at 24-22. A kill from Schmitt and a bounce off the top of the net that went Colby’s way kept the set alive, but the Pirates were able to still sneak away with the win by scoring the next two points.
Gilman maintained momentum into the fourth set, opening up a lead early and never relinquishing it. A kill from Rieck managed to tie the set at 19-19 and Brzezinski and Savana Thomsen were able to make plays at the net to knot it up at 21-21 and 22-22, but the Hornets were never able to get over the hump and eventually fell 25-23.
The Pirates dominated the final set, going up 12-2 to take command over the decider. While Colby managed to score seven straight times on match point, the deficit was too great to overcome and Gilman came out on top 15-10.
In addition to Rieck’s 28 kills, Hoeper finished in the double-digits as well with 15 of her own. Both Brzezinski and Schmitt ended the match with nine apiece. Trush had three of the team’s eight aces and Tori Underwood had a team-high 24 digs.
Spencer, 3-0
The Hornets came out fast and were able to shut down the Spencer Rockets on the road last Tuesday, defeating their Cloverbelt-East rivals in straight sets.
Colby was able to hold the Rockets to just 6.3 kills per set while collecting 30 of their own across the three-game match. Spencer did not help its cause while swinging away at the net, committing 26 hitting errors to just 19 kills.
Like they have many times this season, the Hornets got off to a fast start, blowing past the home team in the first set. By the time all was said and done, Colby had a double-digit advantage, winning 25-15. The Rockets provided more resistance in the final two sets, only losing by four in the second set 25-21 before pushing the visitors past the 25-point mark in the final game. Colby came out on top in the end, however, surviving the late rally from the Rockets by getting a kill from Brzezinski to take the lead after being tied at 24-24.
Thomsen led the team in three categories, collecting 19 assists as the setter, four aces from the service line and 18 digs. Rieck finished with a team high nine-kills and also co-led the team in aces with four. Hoeper picked up six kills for the Hornets and Trush added five. Schmitt finished the game accounting for three of the team’s four blocks and Underwood added 16 digs to help out the defense.
SETTING UP THE OFFENSE - Savana Thomsen goes into the backcourt to retrieve a pass and keep up the Hornets attack against Gilman.
STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD
POWER HITTER - Daelyn Rieck unleashes a spike against the Pirates last Thursday. The junior ended the game with an impressive 28 kills.
STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD
FEELING THE HYPE - The Hornets celebrate after surviving a late game rally to defeat Gilman 27-25 in the first set of their match against their conference foes. Colby kept the good times rolling by winning the second game, but the Pirates bounced back to win three sets in a row and take the match.
STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD
