Close loss in rematch with Lenox
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The Mount Ayr Raiderettes had only one match last week, but it was a big one.
Earlier this season, the Raiderettes beat POI favorite Lenox at the Tigers home tournament four days into this season. That score was 2-1 in favor of Mount Ayr. Last Tuesday, the match would flip and go the way of the Tigers in a 3-1 match win.
The Raiderettes saw their record slip to 12-9. Lenox improved to 17-11.
“We have made a lot of adjustments since the first time we played. For example, they (Lenox) hadn’t seen Aubree as an outside hitter yet. We definitely prepped for this match and wanted to win this badly. We made an adjustment to how we played in the front row, and I think we have found something going forward,” said Mount Ayr coach Kristen Graham.
Lenox outlasted the Raiderettes by just two points, 25-23 in the first set to take a 1-0 match lead. The Tigers also held off Mount Ayr in the second set, winning 25-21 to take a 2-0 match lead. Facing a quick end to the match, Mount Ayr dominated the third set, winning 25-15 to cut the Tigers lead in half, 2-1. In the fourth set, Lenox was able to do just enough in the end to pull out a win, 25-21, claiming the match 3-1.
“The final score (3-1) won’t indicate how close this match was,” said Graham. “We had all facets of our game going against Lenox. We had 15 big ace serves. It was almost like a postseason match atmosphere,” she said.
Mount Ayr had 111 attack attempts with 33 kills in the match. Ashlyn Murphy led with nine kills while Aubree Shields and Breya Nickle each had eight kills. Hayden Ruggles had 17 assists while Olivia Huntington had 19 digs. Mount Ayr served 78-for-90 in the match with 15 aces. Hayden Ruggles was 17-for-22 with eight aces and Janna Irving was 17-for-19 with 3 aces. Mount Ayr had 11 blocks in the match. Abby Eaton led with three while Ruggles, Anna Greenland, Nickle, and Murphy each had two blocks.
Lenox had 86 attack attempts in the match with 42 kills. Sadie Cox led the Tigers with 12 on 22 attacks. Izzy Curtis had nine and Gabby Robles had seven. Delaney Funk had 18 assists and Zoey Reed had 13. Cox led in digs with 22 and the Tigers served 63-for-75 with 14 aces as a team. Robles led, going 15-for-16 with two aces.
Soon Mount Ayr will play in the Pride of Iowa volleyball tournament on Monday, October 9, and Tuesday, October 10. Depending on the POI slate from Tuesday, October 3, those results will determine the final bracket.
“Tuesday night will be big for us. If we win, we will be second in our division and that would let us host the first POI tournament match. I will know a lot more by the end of the week,” said Graham.
Lenox 3, Mount Ayr 1
MA 23 21 25 21
L 25 25 15 25
Statistics:
Attacks (91-111 33 kills): Ashlyn Murphy 23-26 9 kills, Aubree Shields 22-24 8 kills, Breya Nickle 17-20 8 kills, Abby Eaton 10-16 1 kills, Hayden Ruggles 12-13 4 kills, Anna Greenland 4-6 2 kills, Olivia Huntington 2-4 1 kill, Dannie Stewart 1-2. Assists (28): Hayden Ruggles 17, Dannie Stewart 10, Abby Eaton 1. Digs (56): Olivia Huntington 19, Janna Irving 10, Breya Nickle 7, Hayden Ruggles 5, Aubree Shields 4, Ashlyn Murphy 4, Dannie Stewart 4, Abby Eaton 3. Serving (78-90 15 aces): Hayden Ruggles 17-22 8 aces, Janna Irving 17-19 2 aces, Abby Eaton 18-18 2 aces, Olivia Huntington 13-14 1 ace, Breya Nickle 6-9, Ashlyn Murphy 6-6 1 ace, Aubree Shields 1-2.