PREP VOLLEYBALL: Rebels drop Raiders

FULDA — Sparked by an impressive serving performance from Jade Giese and a balanced attack along the front line Tuesday night, the Murray County Central Rebels effectively claimed a clean three-game sweep (25-16, 25-16 and 25-21) over the Fulda Raiders in a Red Rock Conference high school volleyball match between the traditional rivals.

Giese (28-for-30) fired a total of 10 ace serves in the match and ripped off 11 straight points from the line during a 12-0 surge by the Rebels in Game 2, changing a two-point deficit (7-5) into a 10-point advantage (17-7) with a left-handed, line-drive serve that barely cleared the net at times and kept the Raiders from consistently returning the ball back over.

“Our serving was something that helped us keep the momentum in our favor during all three sets,” summed up MCC head coach Kati Bobeldyk after the match. “Jade served the ball aggressively and located it well, really helping us take control of the second game. Overall, this was a nice bounce-back win for us after a tough loss to Pipestone Area (in four sets) the night before.”

Giese and Paris Thomas each dished out nine set assists to facilitate MCC’s offensive attack, with Taylor Schreier and Kristi Bose smacking seven kills apiece. McKenzie Schmitz and Ashley Clarke both contributed with five kills for the Rebels.

Hannah Schmidt came up with a team-high 23 digs, while Bose collected 13 digs. Schmitz and Macy Halbur each had two blocks for MCC, which improves to 3-3 overall and 3-0 in the conference.

“MCC played well,” Fulda head coach Jennifer Tiesler said. “Their serving was a major difference, as we struggled to get into an offense due to a lack of serve receiving and passing. Those are things that we need to get better at in order to be more competitive.”

Rachel Cheadle led Fulda (2-8, 1-2) with seven kills and four ace blocks, while Brittney Hermeling (11), Amanda Schumacher (10) and Courtney Tiesler (nine) combined for 30 digs to top the Raiders’ defensive charts.

Tiesler was Fulda’s leading server, going 12-for-13 with an ace. Myah Holinka was 6-for-6 from the line, and Dani Hermeling distributed a team-best nine set assists for the Raiders.

MCC pulls away in first two sets, prevails down the stretch in Game 3

MCC held a slight edge during the early stages of Game 1, as the scoreboard showed the Rebels leading 2-1, 3-2 and 5-4 behind a kill from Clarke and two service points by Halbur.

A 5-0 spurt by the Rebels followed before Holinka knocked down a left-side kill to make it 10-5. The next three points went to MCC, as Schreier and Lindsey Barritt each smacked a kill to help make it 13-5.

Brittney Hermeling scored on a kill and a tip to help keep Fulda fairly close (down 15-8), and Cheadle recorded an ace block in addition to a right-side kill to make it 17-11 a bit later.

However, MCC maintained a comfortable cushion of at least five points the rest of the way. After Clarke and Schreier found the floor with kills, a pair of ace serves by Schmidt ultimately sealed a 25-16 win for the Rebels.

Fulda started Game 2 strong, as Cheadle hammered two kills in the middle to stake the Raiders to an early 7-5 lead.

But the next sideout went to MCC, and Giese took over at the service line. When Giese’s turn was done, the Rebels had a commanding 17-7 lead — thanks to four ace serves in that span to go along with a kill by Ashtin Scotting.

The margin stayed right around 10 for the remainder of the set, with Schmitz and Bose cracking two kills apiece to help clinch another 25-16 Rebels’ win.

“We spread out the offense and mixed things up pretty well,” Bobeldyk said. “We varied the shots that we sent over, and lots of girls had an opportunity to make some plays at the net for us.”

Game 3 was back-and-forth throughout, as Fulda was better able to sustain a few rallies and had the score tied as late as 17-apiece. Cheadle and Brittney Hermeling both scored points on hard hits to spearhead the Raiders’ improved performance.

However, a late 6-0 run gave MCC a 23-17 lead. Two more ace serves by Giese triggered that game-changing sequence, while Dana Vander Wal chipped in with a big kill.

Fulda closed the gap to two (23-21) after a left-side kill from Brittney Hermeling, but kills from Vander Wal and Schmitz shut the door on a 25-21 MCC win to complete the sweep.

Both teams return to conference action Thursday night. MCC travels to tangle with Southwest Christian, and Fulda stays at home to take on Ellsworth.

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