On October 13th, the varsity girls volleyball team traveled to Johnston for a tournament. The girls team took on Ames, Dike-New Hartford, Urbandale, Waukee and Marshalltown.
The Cubs took on Dike-New Hartford in the first match.
“We came out playing really well and were able to take a set from Dike. They’re a perennial favorite, so it was a good boost for our team,” said Coach Lori Stephenson. The Cubs came out strong winning the first game 21-14. Dike-New Hartford adjusted to the Cubs’ offense and the Cubs fell 21-15 and 15-9 in the final sets.
Against Waukee, the Cubs fell 2-0 in a tough match. The Cubs lost the first set 21-19. In the second games the Cubs lost 21-7. After Waukee made some adjustments to their defense the Cubs were struggling to find ways to score.
“Waukee had a lot of height and good defense, and that was a little more than we could handle,” said Coach Stephenson.
Against Ames, in the final game of pool play, the Cubs held their own, winning 2-0. The Cubs won the first set 21-7. The second set was 21-17. Kacie Rewerts helped the Cubs out with nine kills. Jaeden Heintz served 14 for 14 and had four aces to push the Cubs’ lead.
The Cubs took it to Marshalltown next, winning 2-0. In the first set, the Cubs’ defense held true, winning 21-14. In the second set, the Cubs put it away with a 21-12 win. In the first game Jaeden Heintz served the first six points to help the Cubs get a lead. Later in the game, she served four more to put game one away. In the second set, Jaeden Heintz and Ellie Gray helped the Cubs by serving through a couple of powerful scoring runs.
The Cubs made it to the bronze bracket finals where they would face Urbandale. The Cubs started off strong, winning the first set 21-19. The Cubs fell in the second game 21-13.
“We just had too many unforced errors in game 2 to be a legitimate threat,” said Coach Stephenson. In game three, the Cubs fought hard but were no match for Urbandale losing 15-12.
“This tournament was a good warmup for our regional game on Wednesday night. We saw some height and some scrappy defense that will prepare us for our match against North Polk,” said Coach Lori Stephenson. The Cubs play North Polk for their first round of districts at Cub Fieldhouse on Wednesday, October 17th.
Article contributed by Ayden Rhodes.
