Black Hawk Warriors Get 3-0 Sweep Over Albany

SOUTH WAYNE — The Black Hawk Warriors won in three sets over the Albany Comets 25-16, 25-19, 25-22 Sept. 4 in Six Rivers Conference volleyball. 

In set one, the score remained close until the Warriors started to pull away beginning with an ace by senior Keira Brunner which put Black Hawk ahead to stay at 11-10. An ace by junior Jerzy Wiegel put the Warriors up 19-14. Junior Maddy Place sealed the set one win for Black Hawk with a block kill to make the final 25-16.

The Comets started out strong in set two by taking a 3-0 lead. A pair of kills by senior Mya Milz and a service error on the Comets helped the Warriors pull to within 6-4. Black Hawk took the lead at 10-6 following three straight aces by Milz. A block kill by sophomore Lexi Eastwood of Albany got the Comets to within 13-10. Eastwood got another kill to keep the Comets close at 17-13. An ace scored on junior Reegan Schmidt’s serve got the Comets to within striking distance at 21-18, but Milz delivered two aces to give the Warriors the win in set two 25-19.

The third set saw the Warriors get an early 4-0 lead but sophomore Raegan Hollis got two aces to cut the Warriors lead to 4-3. The score was tied at 11-11 after Black Hawk was called for a double hit. A block kill by Brunner gave the Warriors a 16-15 edge before a kill by Place followed by an ace by junior Jaci Kammes made it 23-18 in favor of the Warriors. Sophomore Mia Scott kept the Comets alive with a kill to pull to within 23-21, but the Warriors captured the third set on a soft, looping kill by Place followed by a return error on the Comets to make the final 25-22 and a 3-0 sweep for the Warriors.

Place had 11 kills and Brunner had nine kills to lead the Warriors. After the match, Warriors coach Rachel Wolff said it was a well-earned win against Albany. “It felt good tonight especially against a team like Albany because they are a very classy team and a tough team to beat. To come out with wins like that, I’m very happy tonight and we needed that one. It’s a conference win,” said Wolff.

Black Hawk will host Barneveld while Albany hosts Pecatonica on Sept. 11 in Six Rivers Conference play.

Argyle Wins Over Barneveld

BARNEVELD — The Argyle Orioles won in four sets over the Barneveld Eagles 22-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-22 in Six Rivers conference volleyball on Thurs. Sept. 4.

Senior Kylie Butler led the Orioles with 27 kills, 22 digs, one ace, and one block. Junior Brooke Wellnitz had 12 kills, 21 digs, one ace, and one block. Junior Avari Steiner contributed 43 assists, 14 digs, and one ace while sophomore Claire Holmes came up with six kills, five aces, and eight digs.

Argyle head coach Jen Butler said, “we started out slow, but finished strong. They worked hard and put everything they had out on the court. Our coverage was good and we stepped up our serving in the third set. It was definitely a team effort.” 

The Orioles were on the road again Sept. 9 at Monticello to take on the Ponies in Six Rivers Conference action.

Darlington falls in three sets to Cuba City

CUBA CITY — The Darlington Redbirds were defeated in three sets by the Cuba City Cubans in SWAL girls volleyball on Thurs. Sept. 4. The set scores were 12-25,16-25,17-25.

Leading the Redbirds were Lilly Ritchie, Catie Hartwig, and Sydney Wiegel who all recorded one ace a piece. Olivea Winslow had 12 digs. Maddie Gratz and Lilly Ritchie each had one solo block. Lilly Ritchie led the offense in both kills with four and assists with 14. 

The Redbirds (2-2) face Fennimore on Thursday, Sept. 11 in Darlington.

Cardinals win their own invitational

BRODHEAD — The Brodhead Cardinals won the 10-team Brodhead Invitational Volleyball tournament held at Brodhead High School and Brodhead Middle School on Saturday, Sept. 6.

The Cardinals won the invitational by defeating New Glarus, Turner, Parkview, and Juda in round-robin pool play. Then Brodhead beat New Glarus 25-19, 25-16 and Turner 18-25, 25-11, 15-8 in the Gold Bracket to win the championship.

Overall Brodhead Tournament Rankings

1. Brodhead

2. Turner

3. Mineral Point

4. New Glarus

5. Evansville

6. Monroe

7. Monticello

8. Albany

9. Parkview 

10. Juda

Next, Brodhead will be at Clinton in RVC-Rock action on Thursday, Sept. 11.