Indees take down Norse, sweep Pirates
Independence/Gilmanton’s Hannah Ekern set the ball for teammate Hadley Sylla (17) during the Indees’ match against Whitehall last Tuesday. (Times photograph by Andrew Dannehy)
Whitehall’s Rani Waldera attempted to tap the ball over the net during the Norse’s Dairyland Conference match against Independence/Gilmanton on Tuesday. (Times photograph by Andrew Dannehy)
The Independence/Gilmanton volleyball team is emerging as a threat in the Dairyland Conference after going a combined 6-1 in sets against Whitehall and Cochrane-Fountain City last week.
The Indees took control early in their first set against Whitehall. After the Norse won the second set, I/G controlled the next two for the 3-1 win. All three sets against C-FC on Thursday were close, but I/G came out ahead in all.
I/G began this week with a 7-2 record, including a 3-0 mark in DC play. The Indees hosted Augusta on Tuesday, then will be off until next Tuesday when they host Alma Center Lincoln in Gilmanton.
I/G 25 17 25 25
WHS 16 25 20 15
After a slow start in the second set, the Indees controlled the next two to bring a win home.
The Indees took a lead early in the first set and held on to win by nine. The second set was controlled by the Norse, however, as the home team took a big lead early and won by eight. I/G rebounded to take the next two sets, including a five-point win in the third, before a commanding 10-point fourth-set win.
Hadley Sylla had a strong night at the net with 13 kills and three blocks for the Indees. Shauna Dejno added four blocks, while Celia Slaby had three; both had three kills. Hailey Gruber chipped in with six kills.
Hannah Ekern handled the setting duties, finishing with 31 assists. Danika Ekern had a team-high 14 digs. Harper Symicek and Joelle Schue both had three aces.
Hadley Kulig led Whitehall with five kills. Rani Waldera had four aces and three kills and Regan Clatt finished with 11 digs.
I/G 26 25 25
C-FC 24 21 21
All three sets were close, but the Indees came through in the clutch for the sweep.
The Indees snuck by the Pirates in the first set before picking up two four-point wins to get the sweep.
Sylla had a team-high nine kills and three blocks, while Nora Schank added eight kills. Hannah Ekern had 25 assists to lead the team and tied Schue with three aces. Danika Ekern had 14 digs, while Schue added 11.
Norse volleyball team splits with I/G, A/P
The Whitehall volleyball team rallied to win three straight sets and earn a split in Dairyland Conference matches last week.
The Norse had difficulty getting started offensively in a 3-1 loss to Independence/Gilmanton on Tuesday (see story elsewhere in Sports). The Norse again struggled offensively early against Alma/Pepin on Thursday when Whitehall fell behind 0-2. But the Norse won the next three sets to earn the 3-2 match victory.
The matches put Whitehall’s record at 7-4 on the season and 2-1 in Dairyland Conference action. Whitehall played at Melrose-Mindoro on Tuesday and will be at Alma Center Lincoln on Thursday. Next Tuesday, the Norse head to Cochrane-Fountain City.
WHS 21 17 25 25 15
A/P 25 25 18 14 9
The Norse got going when their backs were against the wall.
Whitehall started slowly and fell into a 0-2 hole, but controlled the last three sets. The Norse chipped away with a 25-18 win in the third set, then tied the match with a commanding 25-14 win. The team stayed in control to finish the match with a 15-9 win.
Hadley Kulig and Paige Lisowski both had 14 kills to lead the Norse at the net. Lisowski added 17 digs. Rani Waldera had seven kills, while Allaina Currier finished with six kills and two blocks.
Bria Pank did most of the setting duties, finishing with 17 assists. She added four aces, tying with Karli Molis for the most on the team.
