Volleyball team starts season strong with two road wins
The Lennox High School volleyball team had a strong start to the 2026 season. The first week of competition consisted of two road trips and two wins, beginning with a win against Vermillion, followed by a win against Tri-Valley.
On Tuesday, Sept. 1 the Lady O’s faced the Tanagers, who at the time had a 2-0 record. Lennox started with some butterflies that Vermillion didn’t have with multiple games already completed. The O’s had a week-later start compared to other programs’ schedules, and it showed at the start of the match.
“We looked really nervous on the court. Unusually so, considering we’ve got all upperclassmen on the court. There were some very uncharacteristic mistakes from some veteran players,” said LHS head coach Vanessa Gabel.
The first set of the match had a team hitting percentage of only 0.091.
“We found ourselves quite a ways behind and had to rally to make a big comeback. It seemed like we were down by three or four points most of the first set, still even at 19-22. We finally tied it up at 23’s and then pushed on to the win at 25-23,” said Gabel.
Set two was significantly better for the Orioles’ attacking game, with the team hitting at a 0.231.
“Our hitting never quite made it to the level that I know the girls can play at, but it did get much better,” said Gabel.
The O’s won the second set, 25-14, and capped off the match with a set three win with a nail-biter 26-24 win.
“Catie Sherard was really hustling all over the court, trying to put up whatever sets she could and finished with 21 assists on the night. Rylee Hedin’s hitting game really kept us in the match,” Gabel noted.
Hedin ended up hitting a 0.467. Sydney Johnson also had a good, strong attack, hitting a 0.333. Jersie Hostetler and Johnson each had four aces for the night. Libby Kranz led the serve receive group, passing at a solid 2.29. Addy Stucky led the squad with 12 digs on the night.
Thursday night, Sept. 3 the Lady O’s traveled to Tri-Valley who were 3-2 on the season.
“The nerves hadn’t completely left us but were so much better. Johnson got the first kill of the night with a quick set from Sherard and got the game going,” said Gabel.
The Orioles pushed the lead to 7-2.
“The Mustangs struggled with our tough serves and just couldn’t get a hit to fall their way. On our side of the net, the team kept putting away sets, hitting as a team at a 0.343,” Gabel said.
Lennox won the first set 25-15.
The second set proved to be more difficult for the O’s to manage.
“There were a bunch of great rallies in the second set. The score didn’t have more than a two-point differential at the early part of the set and then ‘all of a sudden’ the Orioles were up 18-12. We still had a solid lead going into the 20s, but for some reason took our foot off the gas, and Tri-Valley started eating away at the lead. We were tied at 21-21 and then finally started to pull away. The second set was a nail-biter for sure,” said Gabel.
Lennox won 25-23.
The third set was dominated by the Lady O’s, and they easily won, 25-10.
The Orioles were led in kills by Kranz with 18 and Mallorie Bittner with 12.
“Both Libby and Mallorie had a great hitting night. Libby’s power out of the left side and Mallorie’s quick power out of the middle was impressive,” said Gabel.
Sherard had 35 assists for the night, and Kranz and Stucky led with defensive digs, with 13 and 12 respectively. Hostetler and Johnson each had two blocks on the night, and Johnson added two aces from the service line.
Hostetler led the serve receive crew with a 2.43 serve receive rating.
“Overall, the week didn’t go exactly how we had hoped, but the girls are skilled enough, and the team is so well-rounded, that they were still able to get the 3-0 wins they were looking for. You know you’re looking at a great squad when three of your five hitters have an off-night and they can still pull off a win. Now, they just need everyone to put it all together against the tough competition we face this season and see where things land,” added Gabel.
The LHS girls hosted Canton on Monday, Sept. 7, winning 3-0; complete results will be in next week’s paper. They host Madison on Thursday, Sept. 10, and will be in a tournament in Clark on Saturday, Sept. 12. They will be home again on Tuesday, Sept. 15 when they host Elk Point Jefferson.