It was all about the team

Individual athletes committing to the team concept is usually the key to success. That was certainly the case for Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn's volleyball team as it defeated Harris-Lake Park, 3-1, on Oct. 6 in Hartley.

"It's probably the best team ball we've played. That made a huge difference," said Hawk coach Cheryl Kroese.

H-M-S needed a unified effort to overcome an early deficit in the first set. After losing their advantage, the Wolves forced three ties but they were not enough to prevent the Hawks from earning a 26-24 win. That set the tone for the rest of the match.

"It was huge," Kroese noted. "It was big in terms of our mindset."

After suffering a "little bump in the road" during a 17-25 loss in the second set, H-M-S came back to win another close one, 25-23. While their leads were never large, Kroese felt the Hawks were in control, even after H-LP got to within 24-23.

Once the Hawks took the lead in the final set, they pulled away to claim a 25-14 win.

Kroese was happy to see the Hawks competing throughout the match.

"The word of the week has been 'compete,'" she said. "We need to do that every time we play."

Jasmine Lux led a balanced offensive attack with 10 kills, Olivia Grooters and Darby Mastbergen each had seven, Ava Reitsma had four and Kaley Pearson had three. Taya Mason put up 25 set assists.

The Hawks were also strong defensively, out-blocking H-LP by a 9-1 margin. Lux had two solos and two assists, Mastbergen had one solo and two assists, and Grooters and Reitsma each had a solo block.

Back row defense was led by Mastbergen with 12 digs, Grace Dalen and Jessica Riedemann with 10 digs each, Mason with nine, Elise Haack with eight, Pearson with six and Lux with four.

The Hawks struggled early in the match at the serving line but finished with a serving efficiency of 89 percent and 11 aces.

"It still isn't what I want it to be, but it was a good night for us," Kroese noted.

Serving leaders were Abigail Kunzman, 14-of-14; Riedemann, 14-of-15; Dalen, 18-of-20, four aces; Mastbergen, 13-of-15, three aces; Pearson, 11-of-12; and Mason, 10-of-12.

• vs. Remsen St. Mary's

H-M-S could not extend its winning streak, losing two nights later to visiting Remsen St. Mary's by scores of 25-23, 25-18, 25-15.

Despite being hampered by a slow start and trailing by as many as six points, H-M-S rallied to take leads of 20-19 and 22-21 late in the first set. But St. Mary's proved to be too strong at the end.

Scoring lulls in the second and third sets were the difference on the scoreboard. In the final set, H-M-S's early lead faded and St. Mary's finished strong to wrap up the sweep.

Lux finished the match with 11 kills. Reitsma recorded six kills and Grooters, Mason and Mastbergen each had three. Mason contributed 23 set assists.

Serving leaders were Riedemann, 15-of-18; Pearson, 9-of-9; Dalen, 8-of-9; Emily Mutombo, 7-of-8; Mason, 6-of-6; Mastbergen, 5-of-5; and Haack, 3-of-3.

Leaders on defense were Riedemann with 19 digs, Mastbergen with 18, Mason with seven, Haack with six, Dalen with five and Pearson with four.

H-M-S (5-12, 1-6) finishes out the regular season on Oct. 15 at Akron-Westfield.

• Postseason begins Oct. 19 in Hartley

Class 1A regional tournament play begins on Monday, Oct. 19, with H-M-S hosting Harris-Lake Park at 7 p.m. The winner advances to the semifinal round on Oct. 21, taking on either Akron-Westfield or Remsen St. Mary's at Remsen.

"I'm looking for consistency," Kroese said. "We need to keep playing at the level we are doing and to keep the team concept going."