Coming off one of the team’s best weekends of the season, injuries and illnesses held the Highland volleyball team back during pool play of the Southeast Iowa Superconference Tournament, as the Huskies were swept by Wapello, Mediapolis and Van Buren County on Thursday.
“I’m proud of our effort,” Husky head coach April Stumpf said. “They walked off the court knowing they gave it their all, and that’s what I ask of them.”
The Wapello match went fast, wrapping up in around half an hour, as the Arrows blasted past Highland’s defense with a .500 hitting percentage, their best mark of the season.
The Huskies put up a stronger fight against Mediapolis, holding a 10-5 lead on the Bulldogs midway through the second set, but Highland struggled to close both sets allowing a sweep.
Due to the injuries, including senior Katelynn Thomann, who was held out of the third match entirely, Highland played through its depth against then 1-13 Van Buren County, losing again in straight sets to the Warriors.
“I thought they stepped in and did the best they could,” Stumpf said of the bench players stepping in against Van Buren. “There were some great moments, there were some not so great moments, but it’s not about the losing, it’s about the learning, and we’re going to learn from this.
Wapello defeated Mediapolis in three sets to win the pool and move to Saturday’s bracket play, while the Bulldogs also advanced in second.
1A No. 3 Holy Trinity Catholic went on to win the SEISC championship on Saturday, taking the championship match 2-0 over West Burlington.
Highland closed the week with a 3-1 home loss to Winfield-Mt. Union on Monday.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here