Lennox volleyball sweeps Pierre, finishes second in Silver Bracket at Omaha Tournament
The Lennox High School volleyball team picked up a straight-set victory over Pierre on Tuesday, Oct. 6, before traveling to Omaha, Neb., on Saturday, Oct. 10, where the Orioles finished second in the Silver Bracket of the Skutt Tournament.
Lennox opened the week with a dominant performance against Pierre, winning 3-0 by scores of 25-15, 25-14 and 25-10 last week.
Rylee Hedin led the Oriole offense with 15 kills, followed by Jersie Hostetler with eight. Catie Sherard served seven aces, while Addy Stucky added four. Alivia Martz recorded 18 set assists, and Sherard finished with 16.
Defensively, Stucky led the team with 16 digs, followed by Libby Kranz with nine. Maren Juffer added one block.
The Orioles then headed to Omaha for the Skutt Tournament, where they faced competition from significantly larger schools. Each of Lennox’s opponents had an enrollment of more than 1,400 students, including Papillion La Vista-South, which has more than 2,000 students.
Despite facing several top-tier programs with future Division I players, Lennox turned in a competitive showing, finishing with a 1-3 match record and earning runner-up honors in the Silver Bracket. Harrisburg went on to win the tournament’s Gold Bracket.
Lennox opened pool play against Papillion La Vista-South, falling 2-0.
Kranz led the Orioles with five kills, followed by Hostetler with four. Sherard recorded 14 set assists, while Mallorie Bittner and Sydney Johnson each finished with four blocks.
Stucky led the defense with five digs, followed by Sherard and Martz with four apiece. Kranz recorded a 1.63 serve-receive rating.
In their second pool-play match, the Orioles faced Olathe West of Kansas, falling in two competitive sets, 25-21 and 25-17.
Kranz and Hedin each recorded five kills, while Martz added one service ace. Sherard finished with 25 set assists, followed by Martz with 23. Bittner led the team with three blocks, while Hostetler added two.
Stucky recorded six digs, followed by Peyten Wright with four. Kranz finished with a 2.67 serve-receive rating.
Moving into Silver Bracket play, Lennox bounced back with a three-set victory over Westview of Nebraska. The Orioles took the opening set 25-18 before Westview answered with a 25-18 win in the second. Lennox responded in the deciding set, winning 25-16 to advance to the Silver Bracket championship match.
Kranz led the offensive effort with 10 kills, followed by Bittner with seven. Martz served two aces and added nine set assists, while Sherard recorded 15 assists.
Bittner also led the Orioles at the net with three blocks, followed by Johnson with two. Stucky turned in another strong defensive performance with 16 digs, while Kranz and Wright added seven apiece. Hostetler recorded a 2.67 serve-receive rating.
The victory set up a rematch with Olathe West in the Silver Bracket championship.
Lennox battled but came up short, falling 25-20 and 25-18 to finish second in the bracket.
Kranz again led the Orioles in kills with six, while Bittner and Hostetler each added five. Johnson recorded one service ace.
Martz finished with 21 set assists, followed by Sherard with 19. Bittner and Allegra Vanderwerf each contributed one block, while Stucky, Kranz and Martz tied for the team lead with five digs apiece. Wright and Kranz each recorded a 2.0 serve-receive rating.
The Orioles were scheduled to host Dakota Valley on Tuesday, Oct. 13 and will compete at the Sanford Pentagon in the Dak XII Tournament on Saturday, Oct. 17. On Tuesday, Oct. 20 they will be home against McCook Central/Montrose.