SOUTH WAYNE - The Barneveld High School volleyball team entered Tuesday with two straight losses in the Six Rivers East Conference.
Still, Black Hawk coach Rachel Wolff understood that judging the Eagles by their early record wouldn't have been wise.
Barneveld snapped its losing streak by handing Black Hawk its first conference loss, sweeping the Warriors 25-20, 26-24, 25-21.
Barneveld, which went 1-3 in the Richland Center Invitational Satur-day, relied on some well-timed tips, aggressive hitting and solid defensive coverage to knock off the Warriors, which drop to 2-2, 2-1 Six Rivers East. With the win, Barneveld improves to 2-5, 1-2 Six Rivers East.
"I think it's one loss in the loss column," Wolff said. "It will make the girls realize how much they want to be competitive in this league, and they can be. I thought we did a great job of attacking. They just dug it up and that is what good teams do. Barneveld is a well-rounded team. They don't make a lot of unforced errors."
The first set was a seesaw affair. The Eagles used the tip to build a late 19-14 lead. Black Hawk senior Brooke Moore had a kill to force a sideout. Senior teammate Aleigha Sigafus had two consecutive serving points to slice the Eagles' lead to 19-17. Barneveld's Jenna Wright had a kill to extend the Eagles' lead to 23-18. Black Hawk junior outside hitter Sam Lovelace, who had a team-high 10 kills, scored a point on a tip and senior Kayla Sigafus had a block to cut the Eagles' lead to 23-20. That is as close as the Warriors would get.
Moore dished out nine assists and had four aces. The Warriors raced out to a 6-1 lead in the second set. The Eagles answered battling back to take a 20-16 lead on several tips.
Black Hawk's Kayla Sigafus posted a kill, and the Warriors were called for a net violation to give the Eagles a 21-18 lead. Moore had an ace late in the set to give the Warriors a 23-22 lead. However, on the next point, the Warriors were called for a second net violation. Aleigha Sigafus' powerful hit went out, and the Eagles survived to win the second set.
Wolff said the Warriors must improve in their transition to defense.
"We definitely have to work on our transition and our reading of the hitters," Wolff said. "It's endless practice."
In the final set, it was another tight game. Aleigha Sigafus had a spike that tied the set at 16. Black Hawk junior Jordyn Delzer recorded an ace to give the Warriors a short-lived 18-17 lead. Barneveld rebounded with senior Taylor Owens delivering a kill and junior Teegan Pickarts coming through with an ace to give the Eagles a 22-20 lead.
It appeared that Kayla Sigafus' kill late in the set would trim the Eagles' lead. However, Sigafus was called for a net violation on her follow-through on the spike attempt, and the Eagles were awarded the point to take a
23-20 lead. Owens helped the Eagles close out the match with a kill and the Warriors over hit a final spike
attempt.
"I like the way they fought," Wolff said. "I think to be able to go back and forth with Barneveld shows what kind of team we have."
Still, Black Hawk coach Rachel Wolff understood that judging the Eagles by their early record wouldn't have been wise.
Barneveld snapped its losing streak by handing Black Hawk its first conference loss, sweeping the Warriors 25-20, 26-24, 25-21.
Barneveld, which went 1-3 in the Richland Center Invitational Satur-day, relied on some well-timed tips, aggressive hitting and solid defensive coverage to knock off the Warriors, which drop to 2-2, 2-1 Six Rivers East. With the win, Barneveld improves to 2-5, 1-2 Six Rivers East.
"I think it's one loss in the loss column," Wolff said. "It will make the girls realize how much they want to be competitive in this league, and they can be. I thought we did a great job of attacking. They just dug it up and that is what good teams do. Barneveld is a well-rounded team. They don't make a lot of unforced errors."
The first set was a seesaw affair. The Eagles used the tip to build a late 19-14 lead. Black Hawk senior Brooke Moore had a kill to force a sideout. Senior teammate Aleigha Sigafus had two consecutive serving points to slice the Eagles' lead to 19-17. Barneveld's Jenna Wright had a kill to extend the Eagles' lead to 23-18. Black Hawk junior outside hitter Sam Lovelace, who had a team-high 10 kills, scored a point on a tip and senior Kayla Sigafus had a block to cut the Eagles' lead to 23-20. That is as close as the Warriors would get.
Moore dished out nine assists and had four aces. The Warriors raced out to a 6-1 lead in the second set. The Eagles answered battling back to take a 20-16 lead on several tips.
Black Hawk's Kayla Sigafus posted a kill, and the Warriors were called for a net violation to give the Eagles a 21-18 lead. Moore had an ace late in the set to give the Warriors a 23-22 lead. However, on the next point, the Warriors were called for a second net violation. Aleigha Sigafus' powerful hit went out, and the Eagles survived to win the second set.
Wolff said the Warriors must improve in their transition to defense.
"We definitely have to work on our transition and our reading of the hitters," Wolff said. "It's endless practice."
In the final set, it was another tight game. Aleigha Sigafus had a spike that tied the set at 16. Black Hawk junior Jordyn Delzer recorded an ace to give the Warriors a short-lived 18-17 lead. Barneveld rebounded with senior Taylor Owens delivering a kill and junior Teegan Pickarts coming through with an ace to give the Eagles a 22-20 lead.
It appeared that Kayla Sigafus' kill late in the set would trim the Eagles' lead. However, Sigafus was called for a net violation on her follow-through on the spike attempt, and the Eagles were awarded the point to take a
23-20 lead. Owens helped the Eagles close out the match with a kill and the Warriors over hit a final spike
attempt.
"I like the way they fought," Wolff said. "I think to be able to go back and forth with Barneveld shows what kind of team we have."
