Conestoga bested Fort Calhoun High School 2-0 Saturday during the Tekamah-Herman Volleyball Tournament's third-place match.
The loss dropped the Pioneers to fourth and 1-2 on the day. Coach Liz Sevcik's team is 7-6 overall.
FCHS opened with a 2-0 sweep of Lyons-Decatur Northeast, however. The Pioneers took the first set 25-21 before earning a 25-21 second as well.
In the tournament semifinals, though, Weeping Water claimed a tight, 2-1 win from Coach Sevcik's squad. After a 25-23 loss during the first set, Calhoun won the second with Emilee Thayer-Mencke kills at 24-14 and 25-16.
The Pioneers then had four opportunities to earn match point during a 29-27 third-set loss to the Indians. Ari Nelson's attack found the floor at 24-23, but her team's opponent tied up the match to extend it.
Weeping Water evened the scored again at 25-all and then at 26-all after FCHS' Ansley Elofson scored a kill off of a block. A Thayer-Mencke swing produced a 27-26 lead, too, but the Indians earned the set and the match with three-straight points from there.
Lastly, against Conestoga, the Pioneers lost 25-20 and 25-22. A Jovi Grenier cross-court attack found the floor during the second set, tying it at 21-all, but the following Fort Calhoun serve didn't make it over the net.
From there, the Cougars closed out their tournament with a win over the Pioneers. Coach Sevcik's team was scheduled to play Cornerstone Christian on Monday and next competes 7 p.m. Oct. 1 at Douglas County West.
FCHS drops match with Mustangs
Fort Calhoun was in position to win sets Thursday at home against Raymond Central, too, but the Pioneers didn't. They fell short, 3-0 — 25-23, 12-25 and 26-24.
Coach Sevcik said her team needed to be more consistent getting into good position on defense, taking good swings when available and playing smart when those attacks aren't obtainable.
“I think if we can put that together for a full set, we would have been in a much better position to take those sets,” she explained. “We clearly showed we could play with them. We just dug ourselves in a little too deep.”
The first set came down to the wire with the Mustangs producing a 1-0 advantage. The second, however, wasn't as close even with Nelson and Thayer-Mencke producing at least a pair of Calhoun kills during the 13-point set loss.
“We have to bounce back better from our mistakes and clean up our own errors,” Sevcik said. “Other teams are going to get points and, so, it's just a matter of taking care of the ball on our side.”
FCHS did bounce back during a competitive third set, though. A Nelson serve preceded the 16-16 tie before Grenier's block — with support from Ali Dill — gave the Pioneers a 17-16 advantage.
Raymond Central took back the lead, but Calhoun was able to battle to a 24-all tie when the Mustangs hit the ball long. The road team earned the next two points, however, and the match.
The Pioneers were forced to play the 3-0 contest without senior Taylor Stewart, who was injured during warmups and watched the match from the bench in a boot. The loss pushed freshman Claire Pearson into action.
“She did a great job,” Sevcik said. “(Claire) jumped in and played strong for us. Played good volleyball, and didn't panic.”
It was not an ideal situation, though, for FCHS.
“Obviously, we missed Taylor, but I'm proud of Claire stepping into that role on short notice,” the coach explained.
FCHS VOLLEYBALL LINE SCORES
Saturday
Conestoga 2, Fort Calhoun 0
CON 25 25 — 2
FCHS (7-6) 20 22 — 0
Weeping Water 2, Fort Calhoun 1
FCHS (7-5) 23 25 27 — 1
WW 25 16 29 — 2
Fort Calhoun 2, Lyons-Decatur Northeast 0
FCHS (7-4) 25 25 — 2
LDNE 21 21 — 0
Friday
Raymond Central 3, Fort Calhoun 0
RC (6-6) 25 25 26 — 3
FCHS (6-4) 23 12 24 — 0
