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After opening round win, Starmont halts Warriors’ postseason volleyball run
Avery Fette_10/28
Avery Fette serves up a ball in Central’s opening round victory over Riceville. (Photo by Bev Hamann)

By Coach Kelly Erickson

The Central Warriors volleyball team kicked off postseason play Oct. 19 against Riceville, coming away with a strong three-set victory. The Warriors won by scores of 25-18, 25-6 and 25-17.

Carlie Bergan had an outstanding all-around performance, contributing on both offense and defense. Leading the way offensively was Carlie with 13 kills, followed by Brylee Erickson with 11 kills and Ella Frieden with eight. Zoe Armstrong did a great job setting up the offense, finishing the night with 34 assists.

Defensively, Rylie Kuhse led the way with 10 digs, followed by Carlie with seven and Ella with six. Carlie also contributed two blocks at the net.

The Warriors served well, led by Brylee, who went 23-for-25 with six aces. Rylie finished 15-for-17 with four aces, while Carlie went 10-for-11 with three aces.

Overall, it was a great team win. The girls worked hard, played with energy and showed strength at the net. As a team, we served 89%, just shy of our goal, but we were pleased with how we competed and finished points at the net.

On Oct. 21, the Warriors faced Starmont in their next postseason matchup. Several young players stepped into new roles and helped fill important positions: Rylie as libero, while Ori Burke and Greta Scherf stepped into the front row and contributed offensively.

Leading the way on offense was senior Brylee with seven kills, followed by Ella with five. Greta and Ori each added three kills. Ella also had an impressive night at the net, finishing with six blocks. On defense, Brylee led the team with 10 digs, followed by Rylie with 10.

Serving proved to be a challenge for the Warriors, as the team finished at 79% from the service line. Brylee went 11-for-12 and Ella was perfect at 8-for-8 with two aces.

The Warriors fought hard throughout the match, but came up short, losing in three sets by scores of 16-25, 18-25 and 16-25. Although the outcome wasn’t what we had hoped for, the girls continued to work hard and never gave up. We are a very young team, and it was encouraging to see younger players step into new roles and contribute when called upon.