Lady Bulldogs fall to TR in Homecoming matchup
The Sundance volleyball team was on the road to start the Homecoming week, traveling to Hulett to face the Lady Red Devils. In the opening set of the intra-county matchup, the Lady Bulldogs took an early lead and held on for a 25-14 victory.
Determined to turn the tide, the Lady Devils regrouped and came out firing on all cylinders in the second set. Pushing the set to extra points, the Lady Red Devils took a 29-27 victory.
With the third set underway, neither team was giving up and the Lady Bulldogs took another quick victory, 25-16. Down but not out, the teams traded points throughout the fourth set, as the Lady Devils came out on top once again.
The fifth set was first to 15 as the Lady Bulldogs pulled out a 15-10 win, and the overall victory for the night.
On Friday, the Lady Bulldogs hosted the Tongue River Eagles for the Homecoming matchup. Excitement was in the air as the fans filed in, dressed in pink, for their Barbie themed night.
The first set saw the teams trading point for point, with neither side gaining more than three at a time. With the score tied at 21, senior, and Homecoming queen Aspen Jones stepped up to serve four straight points, and give the Lady Bulldogs the first victory for the night.
The second set proved to be equally competitive, with the Eagles finding their rhythm, serving eight unanswered points, from the get-go. The Lady Bulldogs were able to rally, behind the powerful hits of Hailey Karol and Jaylin Mills, but unfortunately, they could not overcome the initial deficit and fell 22-25 in the second set.
The third set followed suit, as the Eagles won the battle at the net and took another 25-22 win. Down 2-1 the Sundance team rallied in the fourth, tying the game at 21 and then again 23, but unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Tongue River was able to maintain their composure and finish the set with a 25-23 victory, taking the Homecoming victory for the night.
Head coach Chelsey Blasczyk summarized the homecoming games with the following: "There were moments we played really well against both teams during Homecoming week. There were also moments where we couldn't regain momentum. It's a matter of choice and we have three big games this weekend to work on manifesting momentum out of pure will."
The Lady Bulldogs won't have long to dwell on their loss as they have a busy week ahead. The team will travel to Spearfish on Thursday, host the Newcastle Dogies on Friday, and travel to Big Horn on Saturday.
Junior High
The junior high volleyball team played Sage Valley for their homecoming game, the seventh graders lost 22-25, 23-25 and the eighth graders won 25-23, 25-11.
Stats
SHS vs. Hulett: 25-14, 27-29, 25-16, 21-25, 15-10
Annika Haugen 3 kills 21 assists 1 ace 14 digs
Jaylin Mills 13 kills 17 assists 1 block 4 aces 16 digs
Lexie Marchant 6 kills 2 blocks 1 ace 14 digs
Aspen Jones 6 kills 6 aces 16 digs
Hailey Karol 15 kills 1 block 1 ace 4 digs
Karly Marchant 1 kill 11 digs
Blakely Gill 1 ace 27 digs
SHS vs. Tongue River: 25-21, 22-25, 22-25, 23-25
Jones 2 aces 6 kills 7 digs
L.Marchant 4 aces, 5 kills, 20 digs
Haugen 1 kill, 19 assists, 1 block, 1 ace, 18 digs
Mills 19 kills, 12 assists, 5 aces, 14 digs
Karol 7 kills, 3 blocks, 6 digs
K.Marchant 14 digs
Gill 16 digs