BLANCHARDVILLE - Black Hawk volleyball coach Rachel Wolff wants the Warriors to maintain their aggressive play when the momentum shifts in a tight match.
That was the case Black Hawk found themselves in Tuesday as the Warriors swept Pecatonica in a tight three-set match 25-11, 25-23, 25-22.
"I found out that my team does come out strong at the start," Wolff said. "The problem is we need to learn how to continue when the momentum is not going our way. We can't just be a roller coaster team. When we are down, it seems like everyone falls apart."
Black Hawk (2-1 Six Rivers East) jumped out to a 20-9 lead in the first game fueled by senior Alyssa Piefer who scored 10 straight service points that featured a kill by senior Rachel Rygh. With the loss, Pecatonica drops to 1-4-1, 0-2.
"We were hoping it wouldn't be that close," Piefer said, who had 13 assists. "It shows us what we need to work on. We gained a lot of confidence. We just had to keep going."
Rygh, who had a match-high eight kills, echoed Wolff's sentiment.
"When we have the momentum, we play a lot better as a team," Rygh said. "When we don't have the momentum, we lose it."
Rygh isn't worried despite the Warriors dropping their first conference match in three years to Albany in the opener.
"The streak wasn't everything to us," Rygh said. "Everyone wants to win conference. There is still time left. Hopefully, we can tie for a conference championship."
Black Hawk junior middle blocker Kayla Meier scored five consecutive service points in the second game to spark the Warriors to a 14-7 lead. The Vikings stormed back with senior Molly Whitford's tip to cut the Warriors' lead to 18-17. The Warriors followed with a service error to tie the game at 18. Pecatonica senior Ellie Gifford, who had five kills and five assists, powered home a kill and junior Michala Boese later followed with an ace to give the Vikings their first lead at 23-22. Rygh answered with a kill and the Warriors were able to pull out the game when Pecatonica senior Jennah Schliem hit a kill attempt just wide.
"I think the first game we just sat back and waited for them to make mistakes," Pecatonica coach Cher Schliem said. "You can't win that way. Halfway through the second game we decided to start making things happen."
Wolff likes the way the Warriors have made progress serving.
"We need to put it where it needs to be and put some speed on it," she said. "She (Meier) did a great job off the bench for us. She put it in where it needed to be and the serves were hard. It was much needed."
The third game was again a seesaw battle. The Warriors jumped out to a 10-5 lead before the Vikings responded. After a Vikings' sideout, Gifford scored four consecutive service points to tie the match at 10. Every time it looked like the Warriors would put the final game away, the Vikings answered. Boese had an ace and Gifford came through with a kill to give the Vikings a short-lived 15-14 lead. Rygh responded with a kill and Black Hawk freshman Jen Wellnitz had a block to help the Warriors recapture an 18-17 lead. Black Hawk senior Melissa Wellnitz had a kill and junior Kate Quinn had a block late in the game to give the Warriors a 22-18 lead.
Melissa Wellnitz finished with six kills and Jen Wellnitz added five kills and two blocks.
Pecatonica sophomore Lizzy Britt had seven kills and two blocks. Boese finished with 11 digs.
"We lost focus at times," Schliem said. "We can't dig a hole and try to dig out of it. That's what we did every game. Defensively, we were not covering as we practice."
That was the case Black Hawk found themselves in Tuesday as the Warriors swept Pecatonica in a tight three-set match 25-11, 25-23, 25-22.
"I found out that my team does come out strong at the start," Wolff said. "The problem is we need to learn how to continue when the momentum is not going our way. We can't just be a roller coaster team. When we are down, it seems like everyone falls apart."
Black Hawk (2-1 Six Rivers East) jumped out to a 20-9 lead in the first game fueled by senior Alyssa Piefer who scored 10 straight service points that featured a kill by senior Rachel Rygh. With the loss, Pecatonica drops to 1-4-1, 0-2.
"We were hoping it wouldn't be that close," Piefer said, who had 13 assists. "It shows us what we need to work on. We gained a lot of confidence. We just had to keep going."
Rygh, who had a match-high eight kills, echoed Wolff's sentiment.
"When we have the momentum, we play a lot better as a team," Rygh said. "When we don't have the momentum, we lose it."
Rygh isn't worried despite the Warriors dropping their first conference match in three years to Albany in the opener.
"The streak wasn't everything to us," Rygh said. "Everyone wants to win conference. There is still time left. Hopefully, we can tie for a conference championship."
Black Hawk junior middle blocker Kayla Meier scored five consecutive service points in the second game to spark the Warriors to a 14-7 lead. The Vikings stormed back with senior Molly Whitford's tip to cut the Warriors' lead to 18-17. The Warriors followed with a service error to tie the game at 18. Pecatonica senior Ellie Gifford, who had five kills and five assists, powered home a kill and junior Michala Boese later followed with an ace to give the Vikings their first lead at 23-22. Rygh answered with a kill and the Warriors were able to pull out the game when Pecatonica senior Jennah Schliem hit a kill attempt just wide.
"I think the first game we just sat back and waited for them to make mistakes," Pecatonica coach Cher Schliem said. "You can't win that way. Halfway through the second game we decided to start making things happen."
Wolff likes the way the Warriors have made progress serving.
"We need to put it where it needs to be and put some speed on it," she said. "She (Meier) did a great job off the bench for us. She put it in where it needed to be and the serves were hard. It was much needed."
The third game was again a seesaw battle. The Warriors jumped out to a 10-5 lead before the Vikings responded. After a Vikings' sideout, Gifford scored four consecutive service points to tie the match at 10. Every time it looked like the Warriors would put the final game away, the Vikings answered. Boese had an ace and Gifford came through with a kill to give the Vikings a short-lived 15-14 lead. Rygh responded with a kill and Black Hawk freshman Jen Wellnitz had a block to help the Warriors recapture an 18-17 lead. Black Hawk senior Melissa Wellnitz had a kill and junior Kate Quinn had a block late in the game to give the Warriors a 22-18 lead.
Melissa Wellnitz finished with six kills and Jen Wellnitz added five kills and two blocks.
Pecatonica sophomore Lizzy Britt had seven kills and two blocks. Boese finished with 11 digs.
"We lost focus at times," Schliem said. "We can't dig a hole and try to dig out of it. That's what we did every game. Defensively, we were not covering as we practice."
