The Patriots had three tough battles in three days at the State Volleyball Tournament held at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls.
The first day pitted the Patriots against the Gayville-Volin Raiders. The match would go the distance as both teams battled back and forth. The Patriots would go on to win in five sets; 18-25, 25-13, 25-21, 23-25, and 15-7.
Leading the way for the Patriots was Katelyn Schroeder with 27 kills. Ella Johnson added 7 kills, Rebecca Huizenga tallied 6 kills, and Cora Hofer 5 Kills. Lila Johnson recorded 32 assists and Gracyn Bixler added 11.
There were 6 aces in the match, led by Lila Johnson with 3 and Ella Johnson with 2.
Defensively, Cambree Hoekman led the team in digs with 28. Schroeder and Lila Johnson each recorded 23. Emmerie Arthurs tallied 14 digs, Ella Johnson recorded double digit digs with 13, and Bixler had 10. Isabel Gilbert recorded 7 block assists and Hofer added 5 block assists.
With the win, the Patriots found themselves in the semi-final match against another Region 1 foe, the Warner Monarchs.
The Patriots came to play as the ladies took a lead right away in the match, but could not sustain it. Both teams traded hits all night and had some long volleys. Warner used a variety of shots to keep the Patriots guessing. The Monarchs took the match 3-0, by set scores of 25-20, 25-23, 25-20. The girls battled hard all night, but just could not get over the hump.
Schroeder led the offense with 15 kills. Ella Johnson had a nice match and recorded 8 kills. Lila Johnson led the setters with 17 assists and Bixler chipped in 9.
There was four aces in the match, with four different players recording one each.
Hoekman recorded 17 digs in the contest and Schroeder followed with 15. Lila also recorded double digit digs with 10. There were 16 block assists in the match. Rebecca Huizenga tallied 6 of them, Schroeder was right behind with 4, and Hofer with 3.
With the loss, the Patriots found themselves in the 3rd and 4th place match against the Burke Cougars. Once again the Patriots found themselves playing from behind most of the match, as ball control and defense was an issue. Burke swept the match 3-0; 25-19, 25-21, 25-16.
Schroeder led the way with 18 kills. Ella Johnson chipped in 6 and Hofer added 5 kills. Lila Johnson tallied 22 assists and Bixler added 9.
Isabel Gilbert tallied 3 out of the 4 aces in the contest.
Defensively, Hoekman had 17 digs, Schroeder 11, and Arthurs 10. Hofer and Gilbert would each have 2 block assists.
The Patriots had a remarkable season ending their record at 32-4 and placing fourth in the State Tournament. The ladies made memories that will last a lifetime over the weekend. There were also a lot of exciting and memorable matches throughout the season. We will miss our four seniors; Katelyn, Ella, Isabel, and Emma. We wish them nothing but the best in their future.