East Mills runner-up at Bedford tournament
The East Mills volleyball team finished 4-1 and finished as the runner-up at the Bedford Volleyball Invitational Volleyball Tournament Saturday.
The Class 1A, No. 10 Wolverines (20-7 overall, 5-0 in the Corner Conference) won their first four matches to reach the championship match where they fell to Mid-Buchanan 25-17, 25-18.
“Overall, we played well,” said East Mills coach Connie Viner. “Our serve receive for the day was much better than the previous two matches. We lost a close set to Bedford in pool play, but the girls bounced back and won the match. We had another good win over Sidney to move on to the championship. Mid-Buchanan was a tough match and we just couldn’t catch up with their tempo, but we gained some valuable experience.”
In Pool Play, the Wolverines were 3-0 with wins over East Union 21-16, 21-15, the host Bulldogs 21-15, 20-22, 15-10 and Lamoni 21-8, 21-10. In the semifinals, they picked up a second win over Sidney this season 25-17, 25-16.
Ava Grindle led the Wolverines’ attack with 46 kills on the day. Ellie Hagen added 30 kills and Jacey Vandenberg 22.
Brynn Williams dished up 114 set assists and surpassed 1,000 career assists at the tournament.
Hagen led the way with 38 digs.
Fremont-Mills 25-25-25,
Griswold 20-14-9
Fremont-Mills picked up a sweep of Griswold 25-20, 25-14, 25-9 in Corner Conference volleyball in Tabor Thursday.
Abby Malcom led the Knights’ attack with 12 kills. Adelynn Billingsley added seven kills and Brookelynn Billingsley six.
Brooklyn Weldon dished up 24 set assists and Izzy Heard added 12 digs.
St. Albert 25-25-19-25,
East Mills 22-23-25-20
Council Bluffs St. Albert used their size up front to keep East Mills out of rhythm in a 25-22, 23-25, 25-19, 25-20 win in nonconference volleyball last Monday.
The Saintes recorded 23 blocks and 51 kills in the win.
“We had a tough time tonight with their block and our passing was off,” said East Mils coach Connie Viner. “The girls battled and adjusted throughout the match, but it wasn’t enough to get the win. We’ll learn from this loss and keep improving.”
The Wolverines hit .127 as a team with 45 kills.
Ava Grindle led the way with 14 kills. Ellie Hagen added 13 kills.
Brynn Williams posted 39 set assists and Jacey Vandenberg 18 digs.
East Mills 25-25-26,
Fremont-Mills 21-22-24
East Mills edged Fremont-Mills 25-21, 25-22, 26-24 in a Corner Conference volleyball tilt last Tuesday in Malvern.
“Tonight we are off a bit, but the girls pulled together to get the win,” said East Mills coach Connie Viner. “FM kept it close with their scrappiness. Proud of our team for not getting rattled and staying aggressive.”
Ava Grindle and Ellie Hagen led a powerful Wolverine attack that hit .181 as a team with 46 kills. Grindle and Hagen each notched 16 kills. Jacey Vandenberg and Shaylee Stiverson added six kills each.
Brynn Williams paced the Wolverines’ offense with 45 set assists.
Fremont-Mills was led by Adelynn Billingsley’s 15 kills. Abby Malcom added six kills and Brookelynn Billingshley five kills.
Brooklyn Weldon led the Knights with 23 set assists.