H-M-S wins 2-of-3 at S-O volleyball tourney

BY MIKE PETERSEN

Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn's second trip in a week to Sibley to play volleyball was almost as successful as the first. Competing in a tournament hosted by Sibley-Ocheyedan on Sept. 14, H-M-S finished with two wins in three matches.

The Hawks swept Sibley-Ocheyedan (22-20, 21-19) and Trinity Christian (21-16, 21-17) and lost, 2-1, to Woodbury Central (11-12, 21-19, 13-15).

For the night, Ava Reitsma and Jasmine Lux led the offense with 16 and 14 kills, respectively. Darby Mastbergen put down nine kills and Olivia Grooters had five. Taya Mason was credited with 32 set assists.

The Hawks' serving efficiency was 88 percent and they recorded 13 aces. Kaley Pearson converted 35-of-37 serves with four aces; Jessica Riedemann was 18-of-19 with five aces; Mason was 13-of-15; Lux was 15-of-20 with two aces; Abby Kunzman was 8-of-8; and Reitsma was 7-of-9.

Defensive leaders were Riedemann with 23 digs, Mastbergen with 16, Mason with 14, Pearson with eight, Elise Haack with six, and Grace Dalen and Reitsma with five each.

Lux also contributed five solo blocks on defense.

• vs. Trinity Christian

Just as they did in 2019, the Hawks faced Trinity Christian the night after sweeping them in the S-O tournament. And just as they did a year ago, the Tigers avenged that loss with a 3-0 sweep (25-21, 25-12, 26-24) of a War Eagle Conference match Sept. 15 in Hartley.

H-M-S rallied in the first set to force a 14-14 tie. A brief 20-19 lead did not last, as Trinity Christian scored six of the final seven points. The second set belonged to the Tigers, who built a 16-6 lead and were not serious challenged from that point.

The Hawks had a golden chance to get back into the match in the third set. After taking the lead they extended their advantage to 22-14. Three ace serves (out of a total of 16) pulled Trinity Christian to within four. H-M-S answered with a kill, but the Tigers then went on an 8-1 run to close out the win.

At the net, Lux put down six kills; Grooters had five, Reitsma had four, and Mason and Mastbergen each had two. Mason recorded 14 set assists.

On defense, Riedemann recorded 17 digs, Mastbergen had 14, Dalen and Reitsma each had seven, Mason had six and Lux had four.

Lux had one solo block and an assist, and Grooters added two assists.

Serving leaders were Pearson, 10-of-10; Lux, 10-of-12; Mastbergen and Riedemann, 9-of-10; and Mason, 7-of-9. Lux and Pearson each had two aces.

H-M-S (4-7, 0-4) will host a tournament on Saturday, Sept. 26. Pool play begins at 9 a.m. Teams in the tourney are H-M-S, Gehlen Catholic, Newell-Fonda, Okoboji, Rock Valley, Sioux City West, South O'Brien and Trinity Christian.

The Hawks will also play at Hinton on Monday, Sept. 28. That is a change of date from the original schedule.