On Monday, October 21, the Lady Warriors competed in the Midstate conference tournament against Norfolk Catholic Knights. The Warriors squeezed past the Knights in a thrilling game, with the Warriors coming back from an 0-2 start to beat the third-ranked Knights in the semifinals of the tournament .
It was back and forth for the Warriors and Knights, but the Knights snuck past the Warriors in the first set, winning 25-23. It was all the Knights in the second set blowing past the Warriors 25-9. The Warriors regrouped and pulled a reverse sweep on the Knights (25-22, 25-23, 15-13). “Our momentum led us to keep pushing and overcome the Knights,” stated senior Sammie Allen.
Junior Jaisie Janssen led the team with 18 kills, and senior Sammie Allen was next with 13. Senior Cassie Allen carried the team in digs with 20, and Janssen was right behind her with 14 digs. S. Allen finished with the highest hitting percentage with .200.
The Warriors’ win over the Knights is the first time they have defeated the Knights this year. C. Allen stated, ”It feels great to beat the Knights after we lost a close one in the regular season.” This win moved the Warriors to a 20-5 record and advanced them in the Conference Championship to face Pierce.
The Pierce Bluejays won the Mid State Conference Championship for the third year in a row on Thursday, October 28 (32-30, 20-25, 25-13, 25-17) against Crofton.
The first set was a tight one that resulted in the Bluejays defeating the Warriors 32-30. The Warriors came back and defeated the Bluejays 25-20 in the second set. “We just had to shore up some mistakes and play more aggressively,” stated senior Lexi Wiebelhaus. The Bluejays took control and went on to win the next two sets (25- 17 and 25-17).
Junior Jaisie Janssen led the Warriors with a .407 hitting percentage and ended with 13 kills. Wiebelhaus also ended with 13 kills and five digs. “ We just need to be more aggressive and shore up our defense in order for us to win against the high caliber teams,” said C. Allen.