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Lady Jags move onto state
Launch the media gallery 1 playerThe Lady Jags headed into sub-districts as the number one seed, therefore hosting Pender, Lyons-Decatur, East Butler, and Walthill at their homecourt in Howells on Monday, October 28th. The Jags' opponent for their first match was determined by the winner of East Butler and Walthill. East Butler won this match, so the Jags played them in the final match of the night after Pender defeated Lyons-Decatur in the second game of the evening.
The Jags dominated the East Butler Tigers in three sets winning the first 25-6, the second 25-15, and the final set 25-7.
The Jags attacked on all fronts, with a balanced offense and strong defense. Senior Ava Noyd led the team in kills with 7, followed closely behind were sophomores Kylie Brichacek with 6, Bella Koliha with 5, both Peyten Becker and senior Taylor Steffensmeier racked up 4, and sophomore Audrey Brabec had 3. Ava Noyd totaled the most blocks with 5, Peyten Becker, Bella Koliha, and Audrey Brabec each put up 2, and Kylie Brichacek and Taylor Steffensmeier each added one. Peyten Becker served 5 aces, Taylor Steffensmeier totaled 4, Jade Bayer had 3, and sophomore Mckenzie Sindelar served 1. Defensively for the Jags, Jade Bayer led with 16 digs, Riley Svehla had 7, both Kylie Brichacek and Peyten Becker tallied 5, and Taylor Steffensmeier totaled 4. Taylor Steffensmeier dished out 13 assists and both Kylie Brichacek and Riley Svehla had 3.
As a result of their win, the Jags faced the Pender Pendragons the next night. The teams had played twice already in the regular season and split the matches. The Pendragons won the first match earlier in the season, but the Jaguars won the most recent previous match, so it was sure to be a close battle.
The Lady Jags came out victorious, winning three straight sets, and sweeping the Pendragons. The score of the first set was a close 25-21, the second was an even tighter battle, but the Jags still came out on top 25-23, and the final set was all Jaguars as the Lady Jags won 25-12.
Statistically, Peyten Becker led the team in kills with 7, Kylie Brichacek and Ava Noyd each followed with 5, Audrey Brabec added 4, and Bella Koliha totaled 3. Taylor Steffensmeier and Bella Koliha each put up 3 blocks and both Ava Noyd and Audrey Brabec added 1. Riley Svehla served 3 aces and Jade Bayer, Taylor Steffensmeier, Kylie Brichacek, and Peyten Becker each had 1. Peyten Becker led the team in digs, totaling 16, followed by Taylor Steffensmeier with 15, Jade Bayer with 11, Ava Noyd with 7, and Kylie Brichacek with 6. Taylor Steffensmeier totaled 11 assists, Riley Svehla added 8, and both Peyten Becker and Kylie Brichacek totaled 3.
Resulting of their win against Pender on Tuesday night, the Jags earned the #10 seed and played the #7 seed Brady Eagles in a district final match in Aurora on Saturday, November 2nd.
The Lady Jags came out on top in four sets against the Eagles, punching their ticket to state. The Jags did not start the match out hot and lost the first set 21-25, but battled their way back to win the next three sets. The second set was a back-and-forth battle, but the Jags won 25-23. The third set was once again tight, with the Jags winning 25-22, but the final set was all Jaguars, the Lady Jags won 25-8.
Leading the Jags in kills were Kylie Brichacek and Peyten Becker both with 11, followed by Ava Noyd with 9, Bella Koliha with 8, Audrey Brabec with 5, and both Taylor Steffensmeier and Riley Svehla with 3. Ava Noyd totaled 7 blocks, Taylor Steffensmeier put up 4, and Kylie Brichacek, Bella Koliha, Audrey Brabec, and Peyten Becker all totaled 2. Jade Bayer, Kylie Brichacek, and Peyten Becker each served for 2 aces, while Ava Noyd, Taylor Steffensmeier, and Riley Svehla each totaled 1 ace. Peyten Becker led the team in digs with 21, Jade Bayer and Kylie Brichacek each totaled 18, Taylor Steffensmeier had 14, Ava Noyd had 8, and Audrey Brabec had 7. Riley Svehla amounted to 21 assists and Taylor Steffensmeier added 16.
"Saturday's game started out rough for the Lady Jags. We looked a little stunned and surprised by their tips to start the game. We were just a step behind that entire set. After regrouping and coach Kelsey Franzluebbers giving feedback to our hitters the Lady Jags found their groove back. In the fourth set Howells-Dodge asserted their dominance and was super aggressive forcing the Brady Eagles to make errors and giving all the momentum to the Jags. The girls worked hard and never gave up making the victory that much sweeter" said head coach Sara Franzluebbers.
The Lady Jags now move on to state, coming in as the #7 seed. They will face the #2 seeded Bruning-Davenport/Shickley Eagles in the first round at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Thursday, November 7. The Jags will play on the South Court at 1 pm. Good luck to the Lady Jags!
Written by: Peyten Becker
