(Elk Horn, IA) – Boyer Valley was able to come to Elk Horn with the motivation to play and left with a win in their hands as they shut out the Spartans 3-0. Boyer Valley led in the first set while continuing their lead all the way through the competition.
In the first set, Exira-EHK got off to a slow start while Boyer Valley rolled on in the serving game. They continued to knock the ball into positions to get them into a greater lead. Maria Puck was impressive at doing this in her serving game as she earned two aces alone in the first set. The Bulldogs earned a 25-16 first-set win while playing the serving game.
The second set saw an 8-1 Boyer Valley run as Maria Puck and Gwen Neilsen both went on a big serving run. Exira-EHK started to make a slight run back into the game, but it wasn’t enough as Boyer Valley continued to hit successfully on the outside and block in the middle from Jessica O’Day and Sylvia Sullivan. While Exira-EHK made a run at the end of the competition, the Bulldogs were able to capitalize on the Spartans’ hitting mistakes and take set two 25-14.
Set three was the closest set of all as at one point, the Spartans tied things up at 9-9, but after a Bulldog timeout, Boyer Valley went on a run. The Bulldogs relied on Jessica O’Day as she ended up being one of the biggest contributors on the offensive end and really sparked in the later portion of the set. Lauren Malone was beyond impressive on the night as she continued to make setting look easy and relied on her outside hitters Jessica O’Day and Gwen Neilsen. Boyer Valley used that momentum to not only allow Exira-EHK just four more points but also go on serving and hitting runs to win the third set 25-13.
Boyer Valley’s outside hitter Jessica O’Day led the team in kills with eight while helping out in the blocking game in the front row. Sylvia Sullivan was right behind her in kills with six on the night while also helping in the blocking game with a block on the night. Anna Seuntjens had three kills and two blocks while Gwen Neilsen also earned three kills and had three serving aces. Maria Puck was all over the floor as she was digging up every ball she could. Puck also earned four aces on the night and helped out in the back row on serve-receive.
For Exira-EHK, the Spartans were led by Taryn Petersen with four kills followed by Jaelynn Petersen with three kills and two blocks. Mayne Jorgensen and Hannah Nelson each had three kills while Riley Miller and Brooklyn Flathers assisted in the setting duties in the front row as Flathers earned eight assists on the night. Nelson also earned one ace and had two blocks in the competition to top off her stats.
Exira-EHK (6-9) will take on Glidden Ralson in their next competition while Boyer Valley (17-5) will battle against Ar-We-Va in their next match. Both games will take place on September 26th.
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