SOUTH WAYNE - Albany handed Black Hawk it's first conference volleyball loss in 36 matches - or three years. However, the victory didn't come without a price.
"It feels really great other than the fact that we lost Hillary (Best), which kind of sucks," Comets senior Sydney Bump said after Albany's 3-1 victory Tuesday to open the Six Rivers East schedule. "She wanted (to win) so bad, so we new we had to play even more for her."
Best, a senior hitter, hurt her left ankle in the second game with the Comets leading 13-5.
"I'm really glad that we had the lead that we had, because I didn't know how our girls would respond," Albany head coach Connie Wunschel said. "I saw Kaitlyn (Schulz) and Sydney try to pull the troops together. I wasn't sure what was going to happen when Hillary went down - she's the spark plug.
"We're hoping that she can be a tough cookie and come back. That last game, that was for Hillary."
Black Hawk had come out strong, taking the first game with scrappy play, but the Comets jumped out to a 13-3 lead in the second before Best went down.
"I saw some really good things from our girls, especially the first game," Warriors head coach Rachel Wolff said. "After the start of game two, which took some of the wind out of our sails, I don't think we gained our momentum back quite like we had it."
The Warriors stormed back, down 10 at one point to take the lead at game-point, 25-24. Albany benefited from three straight failed returns by Black Hawk to pull the match score even.
"They (Black Hawk) were so scrappy. They just kept coming back and making plays," Wunschel said.
The two schools went toe-to-toe in the third game, with Albany erasing a mid-game 3-point deficit with a 9-2 run, led by Bump.
"We knew we had to play all the way to the last match point," Bump said, the defending player of the year who finished the night with 23 kills, 16 digs and four aces. "We're really excited though, because we did it without Hillary and she is a really good player. It shows that we are a team and that we know how to play as a team."
Albany scored the final three points of the third game, including a kill by Bump that put the Comets up 2-1 in the match.
In the fourth game, Black Hawk stayed with Albany through the first 14 serves. With the score tied 7-7, the Comets rattled off a 12-3 run to put the match, and Black Hawk's streak, in jeopardy. Of the final points, Jeryn Brunker, one of just two Albany bench players who came into the game for Best, scored two big ones - an ace and the game winning bump.
"Jeryn stepped in. She's been waiting for her bid and she got it - not the way we wanted it, though," Wunschel said about her senior substitute. "I was debating between Carlie (Peters) and Jeryn, but she's a senior and I gave her a chance."
Wolff also liked what she saw from Best's replacement.
"(Brunker) did a heck of a job stepping in. She filled in some pretty big shoes," Wolff said. "She did a wonderful job for them and they didn't miss a beat, and that's the sign of a good team."
Alyssa Piefer had 27 assists and four aces for Black Hawk while Rachel Rygh had 12 kills and seven aces. Melissa Wellnitz had 17 kills and freshman Jen Wellnitz, who first started playing volleyball when practice opened two weeks ago, had nine kills.
"We need to polish her up, that's for sure. I think with a little time - and she'll give the hard work - I think she is going to develop into a really nice volleyball player," Wolff said.
Albany will try to continue its big start to the season Thursday at home against Barneveld. Black Hawk, meanwhile, will try to right the ship on the road at Monticello.
"We need to learn to calm down, play our game and execute our offense," Wolff said. "We looked at this one as the first game of the season, not that we had won so many matches in a row. As long as we learn from what just happened, we can take it from here. It's early in the season yet."
"It feels really great other than the fact that we lost Hillary (Best), which kind of sucks," Comets senior Sydney Bump said after Albany's 3-1 victory Tuesday to open the Six Rivers East schedule. "She wanted (to win) so bad, so we new we had to play even more for her."
Best, a senior hitter, hurt her left ankle in the second game with the Comets leading 13-5.
"I'm really glad that we had the lead that we had, because I didn't know how our girls would respond," Albany head coach Connie Wunschel said. "I saw Kaitlyn (Schulz) and Sydney try to pull the troops together. I wasn't sure what was going to happen when Hillary went down - she's the spark plug.
"We're hoping that she can be a tough cookie and come back. That last game, that was for Hillary."
Black Hawk had come out strong, taking the first game with scrappy play, but the Comets jumped out to a 13-3 lead in the second before Best went down.
"I saw some really good things from our girls, especially the first game," Warriors head coach Rachel Wolff said. "After the start of game two, which took some of the wind out of our sails, I don't think we gained our momentum back quite like we had it."
The Warriors stormed back, down 10 at one point to take the lead at game-point, 25-24. Albany benefited from three straight failed returns by Black Hawk to pull the match score even.
"They (Black Hawk) were so scrappy. They just kept coming back and making plays," Wunschel said.
The two schools went toe-to-toe in the third game, with Albany erasing a mid-game 3-point deficit with a 9-2 run, led by Bump.
"We knew we had to play all the way to the last match point," Bump said, the defending player of the year who finished the night with 23 kills, 16 digs and four aces. "We're really excited though, because we did it without Hillary and she is a really good player. It shows that we are a team and that we know how to play as a team."
Albany scored the final three points of the third game, including a kill by Bump that put the Comets up 2-1 in the match.
In the fourth game, Black Hawk stayed with Albany through the first 14 serves. With the score tied 7-7, the Comets rattled off a 12-3 run to put the match, and Black Hawk's streak, in jeopardy. Of the final points, Jeryn Brunker, one of just two Albany bench players who came into the game for Best, scored two big ones - an ace and the game winning bump.
"Jeryn stepped in. She's been waiting for her bid and she got it - not the way we wanted it, though," Wunschel said about her senior substitute. "I was debating between Carlie (Peters) and Jeryn, but she's a senior and I gave her a chance."
Wolff also liked what she saw from Best's replacement.
"(Brunker) did a heck of a job stepping in. She filled in some pretty big shoes," Wolff said. "She did a wonderful job for them and they didn't miss a beat, and that's the sign of a good team."
Alyssa Piefer had 27 assists and four aces for Black Hawk while Rachel Rygh had 12 kills and seven aces. Melissa Wellnitz had 17 kills and freshman Jen Wellnitz, who first started playing volleyball when practice opened two weeks ago, had nine kills.
"We need to polish her up, that's for sure. I think with a little time - and she'll give the hard work - I think she is going to develop into a really nice volleyball player," Wolff said.
Albany will try to continue its big start to the season Thursday at home against Barneveld. Black Hawk, meanwhile, will try to right the ship on the road at Monticello.
"We need to learn to calm down, play our game and execute our offense," Wolff said. "We looked at this one as the first game of the season, not that we had won so many matches in a row. As long as we learn from what just happened, we can take it from here. It's early in the season yet."
