Scotties take district volleyball title
Wed, 11/11/2015 - 11:41am
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The Philip Lady Scotties faced off in their first round of the District 14B volleyball tournament against the Oelrichs Lady Tigers,
Thursday, Nov. 5, on the Scotties’ home court.
Two evenings before, the number four seeded Oelrichs had defeated the number five seeded Edgemont Lady Moguls. That same evening, the number three seeded Rapid City Christian Comets had defeated the number six seeded New Underwood Tigers.
In the Philip versus Oelrichs match, the number one seeded Scotties made a straight sweep, winning the first three games and not requiring any more for the best three of five match.
25- 11, 25-13, 25-10
Serving: 71/71 (13 aces) Leaders: Libbi Koester – 15/15 (4 aces), Shay Hand – 12/12 (3 aces)
Hitting: 86/97 (42 kills) Leaders: Cylver Lurz – 22/26 (15 kills), Peyton Kuchenbecker – 27/29 (15 kills)
Setting: 97/100 (40 assists) Leader: Tia Guptill – 92/93 (38 assists)
Blocking: 4 assists Leaders: Kendal Hook and Lurz – 2 each
Digging: 29 Leaders: Hand and Elise Wheeler – 6 each, Koester and Ellie Coyle – 5 each
Meanwhile, the number two seeded Eagles had won their own round against the Comets.
On Friday, Nov. 6, the Scotties hosted the Eagles for the district championship. The Scotties easily took the first game. Overturning their opponent’s momentum, the Eagles squeaking through to win the second game. Confidence now in check, the Philip players made relatively short work of the next two games, cinching the championship 3-1.
25-11, 23-25, 25-15, 25-14
Serving: 101/102 (13 aces) Leaders: Hand – 27/27 (6 aces), Wheeler – 14/14 (3 aces)
Hitting: 114/127 (37 kills) Leaders: Kuchenbecker – 32/36 (13 kills), Hook – 22/25 (10 kills), Lurz – 27/27 (8 kills)
Setting: 147/152 (33 assists) Leader: Guptill – 129/131 (31 assists)
Blocking: solo: 3 Leaders: Guptill, Lurz and Kuchenbecker – 1 each
Blocking: Assists: Lurz – 8, Guptill – 5, Hook – 4, Kuchenbecker – 4
Digging: 80 Leaders: Kuchenbecker – 18, Coyle – 17, Guptill – 11, Koester – 11
Counting the two district tournament matches, Philip has a 2015 season record, so far, of 24 wins and five losses. Wall ended with 20 wins and eight losses.
“I am proud of how the team played on Thursday and Friday,” said Ella Smith, Philip’s head volleyball coach. “Everything we have worked on the past few months fell into place. The girls were communicating well and things were clicking. When our pass and set was on, we took advantage of it and put the ball away. If our pass or set wasn't quite where we needed it, the girls played it smart and placed balls. We cut down on our unforced errors which is what we have been working towards all season.
“We are excited to play again Tuesday against Lyman. The team knows there is a lot on the line at Tuesday's game – the winner will earn a spot at state. Lyman will bring their best game, just like we plan to. Our focus is taking care of free balls, running quicks, communicating and throwing everything we have out on the court,” said Smith.
The Region 7B Match between the District 14 Philip Lady Scotties and the District 13 Lyman Raiders was Tuesday, Nov. 10, in Wall. Lyman was seeded in its district as number two, and had beaten Kadoka Area and Jones County to get to the region match. The winner of that match will go on to compete in the State B Volleyball Tournament, Nov. 19-21, in Sioux Falls.