It was a busy opening week of volleyball for MFL MarMac, who went a combined 5-4 across a quad at Decorah on Aug. 25 and a weekend tournament at Edgewood-Colesburg.
Head coach Becky Johnson said the Bulldogs were happy to get their first competition under their belts, coming away with a 2-1 night against Turkey Valley, Decorah and Prairie du Chien.
“We saw a lot of good things from our group, including 68 kills, 22 aces and 112 digs across the three matches,” Johnson said. “Lily Johnson led us offensively with 21 kills and also added seven aces and 28 digs. It was also a special night for Addison Corlett, who surpassed 1,000 career assists while finishing the night with 57 assists, four aces and 21 digs.”
MFL MarMac bumped Turkey Valley 25-14 to open the first match, then edged the Trojans 25-23 in the second set to clinch the game. They also swept Prairie du Chien by scores of 25-18 and 25-25.
The match with Decorah “was a three-set thriller that came down to just a few points, and I was really proud of the way our girls continued to battle and never gave up,” Johnson said. “The night exposed both what we are capable of this season and some areas we need to continue to improve, but overall it was a very positive first step for this group.”
In the Aug. 29 tournament, MFL MarMac opened with a loss to South Winneshiek, falling 21-16 and 21-18 in straight sets. Kambry Keehner was a force at the net, leading the team with five kills and a block. Corlett recorded five assists and paced the defense with eight digs. She was also the top server, making all seven attempts, including an ace.
The Bulldogs defeated their next opponent, Marquette Catholic, 25-15 and 25-13, behind a strong .362 kill efficiency. Johnson amassed seven of the team’s 22, while Ashtyn Dundee, Macy McGeough and Blair Winter all netted three. Corlett pumped out 18 assists.
The block game was strong defensively, with a solo block and two assists from Dundee and an assist each from Winter and McGeough. Johnson and Kensey Ball both earned five digs.
From the service line, Johnson went 9/9 with a pair of aces, while Ball landed 12 of 13 attempts and smashed three aces. Another three aces came from McGeough, who connected on 8/9 serves.
Unfortunately, MFL MarMac couldn’t sustain its winning ways against North Cedar, dropping both sets 25-12 and 25-20. But the team didn’t stay down for long, hanging on to defeat Central 2-1 in the next match. The Bulldogs breezed past the Warriors 21-12 in the opening set, then narrowly lost the second frame 21-19 before pulling out a 15-12 win in the final set.
Despite recording fewer kills than Central, MFL MarMac performed nearly 20 percentage points better from the service line, including a 13/14 run and three aces from Ball. She also supported the defense with a whopping 14 digs
Johnson led the offense with nine kills, followed by Keehner with three, while Corlett chipped in 17 assists.
The Bulldogs had another thrilling match against Ed-Co, but couldn’t pull off the win after a 21-15 second-set victory forced a third set. Johnson hit double digits in kills, with 10, and Winter was close behind with eight. Corlett accounted for 17 of the team’s 19 assists.
Ball continued to lead the defense with eight digs, followed by Corlett with six and Johnson five.
Serve highlights went to Johnson, who put up half of MFL MarMac’s four aces on a 9/10 performance.
The Bulldogs concluded the tournament with a 2-0 victory over Kee by scores of 21-15 and 21-8. Johnson smacked six of the team’s 17 kills, and Winter added four. Corlett’s 14 assists led MFL MarMac in that category.
Defensively, Ball topped the team with seven digs, while Johnson picked up four and Payton McElwaine three.
Johnson had another strong serving performance, making all seven attempts—three of which were aces. Ball was 7/8 and Gracyn Welch 5/6, and both recorded aces.
MFL MarMac will return to tournament action this Saturday, Sept. 5, at Starmont.
