Volleyball Starts Season 2-0!
By: Jessica Hoffman, a junior at Leigh High School
Serve strong, dig fierce, hit hard. These were three keys to victory that the Patriots used to pull off two wins at the Bill Marshall Volleyball Classic at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island on August 28th.
This was the first time the Patriots have ever played in this tournament, which began in 2016. The classic is invitation-only, showcasing some of the best teams in the state from all classes.
This tournament gave the Patriots a chance to play great teams they don’t normally have the chance to face during the regular season. It was also a neat experience for the girls, as they had a fun atmosphere playing at the state-fair which the girls described as a similar atmosphere to the state tournament.
At this varsity-only tournament, the Patriots dug deep and defeated both Pleasanton and South Loup in two sets apiece.
First the Patriots faced the Pleasanton Bulldogs. The girls beat them in set one with the score being 25-16, and finished them off in the second set with a score of 25-11, securing their first win of the season. Makenna Held started the season with 18 assists to feed Chloe Hanel’s 11 kills.
Head Coach Becky Schneider was pleased with the outcome of the day.
“The Pleasanton match was a great way to start off our season!” Schneider said. “They definitely challenged us, but yet we were able to control the match! We were able to continue to put things together and we worked really well as a team!”
Next up on the list was the South Loup Bobcats. This team put up a fight against our Patriots but they just couldn’t win a set. The Patriots won the first set 25-20 and the second set 25-22.
Senior Kennedy Settje was asked how the South Loup game went and she said, “The South Loup game went very well! We made big strides from this game and learned more about what our team needs to work on. It was a great way to end the fun day!”
Clarkson-Leigh v. Pleasanton
Set 1 Set 2
Clarkson-Leigh 25 25
Pleasanton 16 11
(kills, aces, blocks, digs, assists)
Makenna Held (Sr): 1, 0, 4, 4, 18; Kennedy Settje (Sr): 4, 1, 1, 8, 0; Korbee Wendt (Jr): 1, 0, 2, 1, 1; Chloe Hanel (So): 11, 1, 5, 3, 0; Gracie Eisenmann (So): 3, 2, 3, 6, 0; Tanyn Larson (So): 1, 0, 0, 1, 0; Brynn Settje (Fr): 0, 2, 0, 1, 0; Izzy Hollatz (Fr): 0, 0, 0, 2, 0
Clarkson-Leigh v. South Loup
Set 1 Set 2
Clarkson-Leigh 25 25
South Loup 20 22
(kills, aces, blocks, digs, assists)
Kennedy Settje (Sr): 4, 1, 1, 7, 0; Makenna Held (Sr): 1, 0, 3, 3, 16; Korbee Wendt (Jr): 0, 0, 0, 2, 0; Chloe Hanel (So): 8, 0, 4, 6, 1; Gracie Eisenmann (So): 4, 0, 0, 6, 0; Tanyn Larson (So): 3, 0, 2, 0, 0; Brynn Settje (Fr): 0, 0, 0, 6, 0; Izzy Hollatz (Fr): 0, 1, 0, 2, 0