Girls take 2nd in St. James tournament
There’s usually one week that’s super busy for the JWP volleyball team due to at least one tournament or a handful of games over the week.
This week was that for the Lady Dawgs. And boy, was it a good one.
Although it started with a 0-3 road loss to Alden-Conger – ranked #8 in Class A – the Bulldogs went on a five-game winning streak, beating Blooming Prairie 3-1, sweeping Hayfield, and winning three of four games at the St. James Tournament on Saturday, September 21. The hosting St. James Saints were the only team to defeat JWP at the tournament, handing them an 0-2 loss. But the girls recovered with their best victory of the season, upsetting 14-3 Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 2-0.
Knights 3, Bulldogs 0
Considering how this season has gone for JWP, they held their own pretty well on the road against a state-ranked team. The Knights had to fight a little bit to win the first set, but they eventually did to give the Bulldogs a 17-25 defeat. The Bulldogs saw how talented their opponents were in the second set, though, taking a 13-25 loss. Although they fought hard in the third set, Alden-Conger completed the sweep, sending the Bulldogs packing after an 18-25 victory.
Individually: Brielle Bure with an ace and 12 digs; Ava Appel with a dig; Nevaeh Weimert with a kill and 9 assists; Paige Walz with 4 kills and 2 blocks; Lilly Strauss with an ace, 2 kills, 2 blocks, and 5 digs; Claire Walz with a kill and 2 blocks; Aubrey Weedman with 4 kills, 3 blocks, 10 assists, and 4 digs; Ellah Oliver with a pair of aces and a dig; Presley James with 5 kills, a block, and a dig; Katie Olson with 3 kills, a block, and 5 digs; and Brielle Dessner with 2 digs.
Bulldogs 3, Blossoms 1
Although Blooming Prairie’s mascot is the Awesome Blossom, their season, like JWP’s, hasn’t been so awesome.
They hoped to get a win over the Bulldogs. But JWP said no.
This was one of those matches where the players really had to work for their win. Their largest margin of victory in the three sets they won was five points, and that was in the first set. The Blossoms took a narrow 25-22 victory in the second set to tie things up. The final two sets were decided by two points, with the Bulldogs winning both 25-23 and 30-28.
This type of victory may help give the team some confidence. And judging by how they performed at St. James, it definitely did.
Individually: Bure with 2 aces, 2 kills, and 26 digs; Appel with 4 aces, an assist, and 2 digs; Weimert with a kill, 20 assists, and 3 digs, P. Walz with 10 kills, 2 blocks, and 2 digs; Strauss with 13 kills, a block, and 12 digs; C. Walz with 2 kills, 2 blocks, an assist, and a dig; Weedman with 3 aces, perfect serving percentage, 8 kills, 25 assists, and 12 digs; Oliver with an assist and 7 digs; P. James with 10 kills, a block, and 10 digs; Olson with 3 digs, 8 kills, and 12 digs.
Bulldogs 3, Vikings 0
It would have been a tough ask of JWP to perform better in their first set than they did. Outside of a few missed serves – which gave Hayfield half their points in the first – the Bulldogs were nearly perfect as they marched to a commanding 25-7 victory.
Although it was a great first set, Hayfield made it clear that they were not going down without a fight. JWP held firm in the second set to make it 25-17.
The third set was way too close to comfort for some fans, as a 5-1 lead for JWP dwindled. Hayfield then held two brief one-point leads, the only times in the night they were beating the Bulldogs. However, a pair of aces by Ava Appel and great plays kept them in the driver’s seat even when the Vikings were desperate to get back into it. A well-placed tap over the net by Paige Walz confused Hayfield, and their initial dig upfront went into the stands, sealing a 25-23 victory.
This victory marked the second year in a row that JWP defeated Hayfield. It’s the first time in a few years they swept the Vikings.
St. James Tournament
JWP entered the St. James tournament as one of seven teams with a losing record. Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart was the only team with a winning record, boasting an impressive 15-2 record (and were somehow not ranked).
JWP’s opponents during the tournament were Norwood Young America, New Ulm Cathedral, St. James, and BLHS. The team swept the NYA Raiders 2-0 with set victories of 25-17 and 25-19. Cathedral provided a tougher challenge, but the Bulldogs defeated the Greyhounds 2-1 with scores of 25-14, 17-25, and 15-11.
JWP defeated St. James 2-0 to face Buffalo Lake in the tournament championship. Although they fought valiantly, the Bulldogs got swept by the talented Mustangs 2-0. The 3-1 day helped the Bulldogs earn 2nd place, their best finish at the tournament in years.
With the 5-2 week, the Bulldogs improved their record to 6-7 (2-3 in-conference). They can even their overall record with a win against 2-8 Nicollet on Thursday, September 26. They will return to Nicollet on Saturday for another tournament against their Raiders, Sleepy Eye, Mankato Loyola, United South Central, and Granada-Huntley-East Chain.
