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By Sports Dept.

Huskies rebound with a win against West Burlington, IMS takes the week off to heal

IMS and Highland went into the SEISC Tournament Finals with the number one and two seeds respectively, however both teams failed to advance to the finals held last Tuesday in Burlington.

The Husky volleyball team advanced to the finals of the Southeast Iowa Superconference Tournament for the first time in 10 years, but were unable to carry the momentum from Saturday and lost to New London 7-15, 6-15 in the semi-finals.

Jesi Hawkins served perfectly for the two game match, going 9-for-9 with three aces. Krista Burich contributed two aces and four kills. Jenny Sweeting put up five assists. Sweeting and Hawkins also played well defensively, combining for 18 digs.

Highland coach Jamie Pugh said the team was happy to make the tournament finals, but that she knew the Huskies would face some tough competition.

“We really started out on fire, but we made some crucial mistakes that we couldn’t get past,” Pugh said.

Injuries have kept the IMS volleyball team off a step as the Maroon and Black could not overcome an early deficit in a 2-1 loss to Wapello at the SEISC Tournament Finals. The scores were 8-15, 15-5, 16-18.

IMS overcame a slow start in game one to easily control game two. The Maroon and Black then jumped out to a quick lead in game three before everything unraveled for IMS. Poor passing and hitting errors allowed Wapello to fight back in the third, winning 18-16 to advance to the finals.

“We did not play well in the first game,” Coach Dwight Gingerich said. “We played very well in the second game. We took an 8-1 lead in the third game, and things got away from us. That’s how it’s been in the last week and a half.

“We are banged up. We’re a team that is struggling right now.”

Jessica Wilson had 10 kills, seven blocks, five digs, and served 9-for-9 for IMS. Ashley Wilson had eight kills and served a perfect 6-for-6 with one ace. Jill Widmer led the team in serving going 15-for-15. Kristi Miller had five digs and 20 assists on the night.

New London defeated Wapello for the SEISC Tournament crown.

The IMS squad wasn’t scheduled to play again for a whole week, giving the players a much needed rest. Gingerich said that as the season comes to a close, what his team really needs right now is time to heal.

“We are having a tough time putting a solid match together. Hopefully over the next week we can get everyone healthy and we can find ourselves as a team.”

While IMS took the week off, Highland was in action two days later. The Huskies pulled out a 15-10, 15-10, 8-15, 12-15, 15-4 win Thursday at West Burlington.

Highland served 90 percent as a team, led by Lyndi Hazelett who served 23-for-25 with six aces. Michelle Ossman went 19-for-20 in serving with eight aces and Jessica Snyder served 14-for-15 with five aces.

On Monday, the Huskies fell to New London in a rematch of last Thursday’s semifinal, losing to the SEISC Champions 4-15, 8-15, 5-15 at Highland.

Highland served well again in the loss, led by Lyndi Hazelett who served 10-for-12 with three aces. Jesi Hawkins went a perfect 10-for-10 from the line with two aces. Krista Burich was also perfect, serving 9-for-9 with an ace. Hazelett and Jenny Sweeting each had three kills for the Huskies.

Highland is 7-5-2 overall and 1-3 in the SEISC. IMS is 16-3-4 on the year, 4-0 in the SEISC.

From Tue., Sept. 28 at the Southeast Iowa Superconference Tournament in Burlington.

Wapello def. IMS 8-15, 15-5, 16-18

Serving: 56-59, 5 aces (Jill Widmer 15-15; Jessica Wilson 9-9; Cammy Perez 12-13, 3 aces; Ashley Wilson 6-6, 1 ace). Attack: 24 kills (Jessica Wilson 10 kills; Ashley Wilson 8 kills, Jeana Pickard 3 kills, Kristi Miller 3 kills). Assists: 22 (Miller 20). Blocks: 10 (J. Wilson 7, Miller 2). Digs: 29 (Miller 5, Detweiler 5, J. Wilson 5).

New London def. Highland 7-15, 6-15

Serving: 19-24, 7 aces (Jesi Hawkins 9-9, 4 aces). Attack: 8 kills (Krista Burich 4 kills). Assists: 9 (Jenny Sweeting 5, Hazelett 4). Digs: 28 (Hawkins 10, Sweeting 8).