Timberwolves third at own tournament
Southwest Valley was 3-0 in pool play and finished third at its own Southwest Valley Volleyball Tournament Saturday in Corning.
The Timberwolves (14-4 overall, 4-0 in the Pride of Iowa Conference) knocked off Diagonal 21-11, 21-6, Clarke 21-15, 21-12 and East Atchison 21-3, 21-6 in pool play before falling to AHSTW 22-20, 10-21, 9-15 in semifinals. They bounced back in the consolation bracket to beat Clarke for a second time, 21-8, 21-7 to claim third place.
“The girls were focused and played well together the entire day,” said Southwest Valley coach Lisa Sparks. “We have been working on consistency and producing when and where we can. The girls have been taking the focus of our practices and I have seen those skills follow through to games as they continue to compete each time we are on the court. I am pleased with how they continue to improve and succeed.”
Harlan went on to win the tournament with a record of 5-0.
Ray Helvie ended the day with 49 kills in the five matches. She was also able to add 25 digs and five blocks.
Nora Paul ended the day with 23 kills and 25 digs. Mailee Templeton ended with 19 kills and 14 aces.
Elin Hogan ran the offense and ended with 77 assists and team high 28 digs.
“The overall team stats are impressive to me as we have been working on efficiency both attacking and serving,” Sparks said. “The number of digs we are seeing to keep that ball alive show the scrappiness of this team. I am proud of the girls today and look forward to the rest of our season.”
Southwest Valley 25-25-25
East Union 21-22-23
Ray Helvie smacked down 21 kills to lead Southwest Valley in a 25-21, 25-22, 25-23 sweep of East Union in Pride of Iowa Conference volleyball last Tuesday in Afton.
Helvie’s hot night helped the Timberwolves hit .237 as a team with 32 kills.
“The girls took on the challenge and were able to make adjustments as the night progressed,” said Southwest Valley coach Lisa Sparks. “We started off set one swinging offensively and also serving aggressively. Set two we had a few more serving errors than normal. Set three we started off strong and in control and were able to take the conference win in three straight sets.”
Mailee Templeton and Nora Paul both ended the night with four kills each and Elin Hogan dished up 27 set assists on the night.
Deklyn Mullen led the defense with 10 digs.
Marlys Mitchell and Zoey Tessum had 10 kills each to lead East Union.
Southwest Valley 25-25-25
Stanton 19-17-16
Southwest Valley swept Stanton 25-19, 25-17, 25-16 in a nonconference volleyball match in Corning last Monday.
“I am very proud of the trust the players had and the adjustments we made along the way to the 3-0 set win over Stanton,” said Southwest Valley coach Lisa Sparks. “Aggressive serving and attacking helped us take the win but that is not possible without some great defense.”
That aggressive attack was headlined by Ray Helvie and her team-high 17 kills. She also added two aces and five blocks.
Mailee Templeton added nine kills and two aces. Elin Hogan also added 29 set assists to lead the offense.
Deklyn Mullen and Hogan led the way with 14 digs a piece.
Addison Jones paced Stanton with four kills. Haylee Joint had 10 digs.