Bulldogs defeat Loyola in season opener, drop two games
It’s that time of year again when volleyball teams across the state start serving, setting, digging, and spiking their way through the fall.
Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton’s volleyball team got a head start on some of the teams within the local area when they hosted Mankato Loyola for its season and home opener on Thursday, August 22, and defeated them 3-1.
With ten seniors on the roster, this was their last “first” game of the season. “It’s bittersweet going into their senior season with them,” Head Coach Jessica Keenan acknowledged.
However, the team dropped its next two games, one at Cleveland on Tuesday, August 27, and a tough battle against Waseca the following Thursday.
Bulldogs 3, Crusaders 1
Both teams were excited to see fans in the stands. While both had to shake off some rust, the Bulldogs and Crusaders had a competitive first set. Loyola’s mistakes in the beginning let JWP jump into an early lead. Senior Aubrey Weedman served the first ace of the night. Slowly but surely, though, Loyola began challenging JWP’s lead. A 6-3 lead for the Bulldogs became an 11-11 tie, and JWP called a timeout when Loyola took a 12-11 lead.
From there, though, JWP did a great job stealing back the lead and holding on. The 19-14 score in favor of the Bulldogs turned into a 25-22 victory.
The second set featured multiple mental errors, hesitation from some players, and miscommunication. Although JWP took back the lead 16-15 thanks in part to two aces in a row by senior Lilly Strauss, one mistake led to another, allowing Loyola to capitalize and take a 25-17 victory in the second set and a 1-1 tie in the match.
Keenan shared that staying mentally strong was the key to the team’s success. “The girls need to work on not letting errors get to their heads.”
The third set proved their potential in terms of mental toughness. The first half of the set played out nearly identical to the second, with errors preventing JWP from taking a decisive lead until late. However, well-placed kills by Katie Olson (including one perfectly landing in the corner) and aces by Strauss and Brielle Dessner aided them in taking a 20-19 lead. The last few rallies were some of the best of the night, as both teams lunged at the ball and somehow kept it in play. A light touch over the net by Weedman was the set-winner, allowing JWP to take it 25-22.
The fourth set mainly was dominant play by JWP. They took an early 8-0 lead, and while Loyola clawed back to narrow the lead to 9-6, the Bulldogs went on a 16-4 run to end the fourth and final set 25-10 and secure a 3-1 victory.
Mental toughness helped them win the match, and the team’s collective experience helped them push past mistakes and win decisively. “There is tons of experience on this team, and I think that helped them to look back at how things were going and not dwell on it for long,” Keenan said.
This game showed the team’s potential, and Keenan hopes they can show more consistency by staying on the up. “We had way too many ups and downs, and we need to work on staying consistenyl on our highs.”
Seeing senior Brielle Bure play near the end of the second set also may have been a morale boost for the team. Since she’s recovering from a broken jaw, the team wasn’t sure she’d play for a few weeks. However, she joined the team and sported a face shield. “It’s absolutely crazy and miraculous that she is already working on her comeback,” Keenan said. “She’s still a little rusty and needs to figure out how to play with her new shield, but she’s ready to take on the challenge!”
Individually: Dessner 2 aces, 100 percent serving percentage, 8 digs; Strauss 5 aces, 3 kills, 2 blocks, 11 digs; Weedman 4 aces, 3 kills, 20 assists, 19 digs; Olson 14 kills, 19 digs, 100% serving percentage; C. Walz 3 kills, 2 blocks, 2 digs; P. James 8 kills, 2 blocks, 4 digs; Dimmel 3 kills; P. Walz 2 kills; Weimert 6 assists, 13 digs; and Oliver 8 digs.
Clippers 3, Bulldogs 0
The Cleveland Clippers have always been a solid team, and they appear to have the same standards this year.
JWP has always had a challenging time facing Cleveland. In every single match the teams have played post-Covid, the Bulldogs were on the losing side. With home-court advantage, Cleveland swept the game. The first set was a 16-25 loss for JWP. The Bulldogs were taken down even quicker in the second set, which was 14-25.
JWP led at the beginning of the final set, but Cleveland quickly recovered, and their skill and hitting ability in front of the net was too much for the visiting Bulldogs. The result was a 16-25 loss, which led to the 0-3 final.
Individyally: Bure with an assist and 6 digs; Dessner with 2 ace serves; Strauss with 5 kills, 9 digs; Weedman with 12 assist, 12 digs, and perfect serving percentage; Olson with an ace, 3 kills, and 7 digs; C. Walz with 2 kills; Oliver with an ace, a kill, and 7 digs; Weimert with an ace, 4 assists, and 6 digs; P. James with 4 kills and 2 blocks; Dimmel with an assist; and P. Walz with 5 kills, a block, and 4 digs.
Bluejays 3, Bulldogs 1
JWP hosted Waseca on Thursday following their first road game against Cleveland. The Bluejays entered the match with a 2-0 record, defeating Pipestone JWP’s conference rival Randolph.
It was a relatively close matchup, with both teams showing some finesse. However, Waseca’s attacking skills – namely the kills from players seniors Aliyah Taylor and Ellie Hoehn – helped them take a close 3-1 victory from JWP—the two Lady Jays combined with 25 kills, Taylor spiking 17 of those over the net.
The Bulldogs and Bluejays made their fair share of mistakes in the first set. However, Waseca keep JWP at bay, with leads like 18-12 and 22-15 before a comeback attempt by the Bulldogs was thwarted, and Waseca took a 25-19 victory.
JWP played arguably their best set of the season so far in the second, with senior Ellah Oliver collecting a pair of aces and eventually forcing a Waseca timeout at 15-11. Ace’s serves were vital, and there were a handful of blocks in the front by players like senior Claire Walz. Junior Katie Olson’s three aces in the set (and one to end it) led to a 25-15 victory and JWP tying things 1-1.
The Bluejays then replicated the score of the first set and took the next two 25-19. JWP had a 10-6 lead in the third. However, mistakes cost them. The fourth set was back-and-forth, with the score at 14-14 before Waseca went on a 5-1 run to distance themselves from the Bulldogs.
Despite the loss, it was a competitive match that showed the team’s potential. If they can replicate the way they played in the second set, they can play well against any team.
Individually: Bure with 21 digs, a pair of kills, an ace, and assist; Dessner with an ace and a dig; Strauss with 8 kills, 4 blocks, 15 digs, an ace, and a perfect serving percentage; Weedman with an ace, 4 kills, 2 blocks, 23 assists, and 14 digs; Olson with 4 aces, 6 kills, a block, and 4 digs; C. Walz with 4 kills, 2 blocks, an assist, and 2 digs; Oliver with 2 aces, a kill, and 7 digs; Weimert with 10 assists, 3 digs; James with 14 kills, a block, an assist, and a dig; Dimmel with an assist and a dig; and P. Walz with 3 kills and a dig.
The JWP volleyball team’s three non-conference games resulted in a 1-2 record; they are 0-1 in Section 2AA play with their loss to Waseca. This week, they will enjoy a break before hosting Waterville-Elysian-Morristown on Thursday, Sept. 5.
