Lady Jays Volleyball
Bluejays Battle at Wakefield Tournament
By Kinley Hilkemann
The volleyball team competed in the second day of the Wakefield tournament on September 12, facing Elkhorn Valley and Ponca.
The team did not finish the tournament with the outcome they wanted, but they were able to use the matches to see what areas they could improve on.
Pierce came out strong against Ponca, winning the first set 25-14 and continuing their momentum with a 25-11 win in the second set to finish the match 2-0.
Then the team played Elkhorn Valley with a 25-15 win in the first set. They then fell 25-22 in the second set and 25-21 in the third set, finishing the match with a 2-1 loss.
In the second game against Ponca, the team won the first set 25-21 before taking the second set 25-13, finishing the match with a 2-0 victory.
“The tournament showed the team where they need to improve for the rest of the season,” middle hitter Meredith Krienert said.
When the team faced rough patches throughout the games, the seniors stepped up to give leadership. Their leadership helped the team work through difficult moments and to stay together. Serving was one area Pierce showed a challenge during the tournament.
“Serving was the toughest part of the game because they did not perform to their best ability,” defensive specialist Aislyn Moeller said.
During the matches, the Bluejays competed through each set and worked together on the court. The players communicated with one another and helped their teammates throughout the matches.
Success at Wakefield Tournament
By Natasha Zamora
The Bluejay volleyball team competed in the Wakefield tournament on day one on Thursday, September 10, winning two out of two games, playing Wakefield and Cedar Catholic.
In the first game of the day, Pierce played Wakefield and dominated 25-10 in the first set. In the second set, Pierce took the victory as the Trojans lost again to the Bluejays, 25-10.
In the second game of the day, the Bluejays won against Cedar Catholic in the first set, 25-19. The girls kept their winning streak alive, closing it out 25-22. Cedar Catholic put up a great fight against Pierce, leaving the score 2-0.
“We found a way to finish even though we faced diversity throughout the match. In some areas we see this as a wake up call that we need to move forward. Overall, I was happy how we stayed focused and locked in when we needed to,” Zach Weber, the head coach, said.
Winning through and through, Pierce continues to improve their record to 6-1 this season.
JV Volleyball Travels to Wisner Tournament
By Lydia Cone
The Bluejays JV volleyball team made their way to Wisner-Pilger to take on Wayne, Leigh, and Madison.
In their first game, they took on the Wayne Blue Devils and lost in three sets, 25-20, 22-26, 15-12.
Next, Pierce took on the Leigh Panthers and fell short of a win, but stepped up their game. They lost 2-1to the Panthers, 25-23,18- 25, 15-10.
“The best game was definitely the second one, because we didn’t do too good the first one, and finally picked it up in the second game and had a lot more talk and a lot more hustle,” sophomore defensive specialist Gia Nygren stated.
To finish the day, the Bluejays finally found a rhythm and beat the Madison Dragons in a convincing two-set victory, 25-8, 25-10.
“Overall, the team played well. We started off a little slow, but got the energy flowing after their first game. Two out of our three matches went into three sets, and I liked the grit that I saw from the girls to come back and take set two in the first and second game,“ coach Freeman said.
