Indians Defeat Pair of Ranked Opponents
Oskaloosa–The Oskaloosa girls’ volleyball team’s response to a disappointing loss to a ranked foe was to beat up on two other rated squads as it went 2-0 last week.
On Monday, the Indians (18-4, 4-1 LHC), who are now seventh in Class 4A, won 3-1 over Class 3A #11 Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont in non-conference play with scores of 23-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-23. The team followed that up with a 3-0 sweep of Class 4A #13 Indianola in Little Hawkeye Conference action with scores of 25-19, 25-14, 25-21.
Against E-B-F, Oskaloosa grabbed an early 6-3 in the first set, but the Rockets rallied to knot the set at 11-11. The tight battle eventually saw the Indians lead 23-21, but unfortunately permit four straight to E-B-F to fall behind 1-0 in the match.
The Rockets were in position to grab a 2-0 advantage as they led 17-13 in the second set, but a strong finish, including a set-ending ace by Addison Girard, gave the Indians the set.
The third set was again a close one, but Oskaloosa pulled away, and just as they did in the second go-round, the Indians finished the third with an ace, this time by Olivia Gordon.
The visiting Indians managed the first four points of the fourth set. E-B-F fought back and claimed a 22-20 edge and were up 23-22, but fortunately Oskaloosa wrapped it up with three consecutive points to collect the win.
Faith DeRonde dominated from start to finish with a giant double-double of 33 kills and 11 digs. The senior hit .509 on the night.
Maleah Walker just missed her own double-double, posting 16 kills with nine digs. Gordon assisted on 35 winners, while Presley Blommers was a helper to 21 kills. Gordon also serve up four aces.
Defensively, Lucy Roach tallied a team-high 13 digs and Aby Thompson had a part in three blocks.
“We knew coming in that this was going to be a battle and E-B-F played very well,” Head Coach Jennifer Comfort said. “It is never fun, nor easy, to play a program you are so familiar with, so I was proud of our ladies for pulling it together to eke out the win.”
The Indians carried that momentum into Tuesday’s Senior Night bout with the other Indians in the conference. Up 5-2 in the opening set, Oskaloosa extended the advantage to 13-9 to force an Indianola timeout.
The stoppage of play did little to slow down the home crew as Oskaloosa stretched the margin to seven at 17-10 and cruised to the first-set win.
The visitors were more successful in the beginning stages of the second set with a 3-1 lead, but tied at 4-4, Oskaloosa recorded six unanswered. A pair of three-point runs distanced the hosts even more and they moved one set away from the victory.
Indianola would not make it easy, though, as it claimed six of the first eight points of the third set. Oskaloosa regrouped and earned nine of the next 10 points to go on top. The lead was short-lived, however, as Indianola tied the score at 11-11, but a 5-1 run put Oskaloosa ahead for good.
The visiting Indians trimmed the deficit to two at 22-20, but Oskaloosa kept its foe in the rearview to finish off the sweep.
DeRonde blazed the trail for the Indians with 18 kills, while Walker tallied nine kills (.368 attack %) and Thompson added five more (.625 attack %). Overall, the Indians hit .275 as a team.
Gordon assisted 19 times with Blommers contributing on nine more winners, while defensively, Walker hit double figures with 11 digs. Roach managed eight digs and Aubree Blanco finished with two blocks.
Gordon guided her crew at the service line with three aces as well; the Indians produced eight aces overall.
“We were able to stay on the attack all night and kept them out of system,” Comfort said. “This was a big two days for our team with two big matches as well as celebrating Homecoming and our senior class. Each athlete stepped up to the challenge and I am so pleased with the full team performance.”
“We still have some things to work on as postseason nears, but I know we will be ready for whatever our path will be because everyone has the same goal,” Comfort added.
Next Up: Oskaloosa travels to Pella Tuesday to face Pella Christian in LHC action at 7:15 p.m. The team will also host the Oskaloosa Tournament next Saturday.
