Third-set run lifts Scotus past Jays
SEWARD — Five unanswered points midway through the third set put momentum on Seward’s side in its championship match against Columbus Scotus on Saturday.
Unfortunately for the Bluejays, Scotus had Monica Boeding and Katie Beiermann on its side.
Boeding and Beiermann combined for 13 kills in the third set to pace the Class C-1 No. 2 Shamrocks to a hard-fought 25-20, 21-25, 25-21 victory against Class B No. 10 Seward in the final of the eight-team Seward/Wurst Invitational.
Beiermann, a senior middle blocker, had three kills off slide plays and an assist in Scotus’ 10-3 match-ending run that wiped out an 18-15 Seward lead. Boeding, a junior outside hitter, had eight of her match-high 16 kills in the decisive set, the last coming off an assist by Beiermann that concluded a long rally and put Scotus in front to stay 20-19.
Seward’s five straight points gave the Bluejays their three-point advantage. An ace block by Alyssa Kamphaus broke a 15-15 deadlock, then Bluejay teammate Sydney DeBoer followed with back-to-back kills from the middle to force a Scotus timeout.
“We haven’t done that this year — come back from a deficit late in a set to win against a good team. That’s why this was such a big win for us,’’ said Columbus Scotus coach John Petersen, whose team improved to 13-2 with three wins Saturday.
“We served well and we got some good touches on the block, something we’ve struggled with this season,’’ Petersen said. “That helped our defense get the ball to (setter) Sami (Spenner).”
Spenner took care of the rest, keeping the Seward defense off balance by either sending the ball to Boeding or Ashley Paprocki on the left or running the slide to Beiermann, who also had six ace blocks. Spenner finished with 29 assists.
“We’ve been working on defense a lot since that’s one of our weaknesses. But today, I thought we did very well (defensively),’’ Boeding said. “When Sam gets the ball in a good position, we can do anything (offensively) because she’s such a good setter.’’
Seward (13-3) committed 12 unforced errors in the first set, including eight hitting miscues. The Bluejays, however, cleaned up their act in the second, forcing a third set by going on a 9-2 spurt to wipe out a 19-16 deficit.
With Seward clinging to a 21-20 lead, a kill by junior outside hitter Zoie Smetter and two straight point-ending swings by freshman Katie Hughes gave the Bluejays more breathing room at 24-20. A Boeding kill saved one Seward set point, but Hughes ended it with a tip over the block on the next point.
Smetter had five of her seven kills in the second set, while DeBoer recorded five of her seven in the third. Another junior outside, Laural Wagner, also finished with seven kills for the Jays. Junior setter Miranda Wisehart sparked the balanced attack with 29 assists.
“We played very well, we just got hurt in one rotation there in the third set that proved to be strong for them (the Shamrocks),” said Seward coach Tom Pallas, whose team was without sophomore starting middle Emily Cady for the finals.
Cady left for a club basketball tournament in the Kansas City, Mo., area after playing in Seward’s first two matches Saturday — victories against Lincoln Christian (25-18, 25-13) and Columbus Lakeview (25-16, 25-22).
“Their No. 8 (Boeding) and 9 (Beiermann) are really good hitters and they know where to place the ball,” the Seward coach said. “Scotus dug some balls we’d been putting down earlier and got it to their setter.”
The much anticipated showdown in the semifinals between Scotus and Class C-1 No. 4 Kearney Catholic never materialized. Schuyler, which entered the tournament 2-15, shocked Kearney Catholic 25-20, 12-25, 25-23 in the first round. The Stars (13-3) recovered to beat York and Beatrice and finished fifth.
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
Unfortunately for the Bluejays, Scotus had Monica Boeding and Katie Beiermann on its side.
Boeding and Beiermann combined for 13 kills in the third set to pace the Class C-1 No. 2 Shamrocks to a hard-fought 25-20, 21-25, 25-21 victory against Class B No. 10 Seward in the final of the eight-team Seward/Wurst Invitational.
Beiermann, a senior middle blocker, had three kills off slide plays and an assist in Scotus’ 10-3 match-ending run that wiped out an 18-15 Seward lead. Boeding, a junior outside hitter, had eight of her match-high 16 kills in the decisive set, the last coming off an assist by Beiermann that concluded a long rally and put Scotus in front to stay 20-19.
Seward’s five straight points gave the Bluejays their three-point advantage. An ace block by Alyssa Kamphaus broke a 15-15 deadlock, then Bluejay teammate Sydney DeBoer followed with back-to-back kills from the middle to force a Scotus timeout.
“We haven’t done that this year — come back from a deficit late in a set to win against a good team. That’s why this was such a big win for us,’’ said Columbus Scotus coach John Petersen, whose team improved to 13-2 with three wins Saturday.
“We served well and we got some good touches on the block, something we’ve struggled with this season,’’ Petersen said. “That helped our defense get the ball to (setter) Sami (Spenner).”
Spenner took care of the rest, keeping the Seward defense off balance by either sending the ball to Boeding or Ashley Paprocki on the left or running the slide to Beiermann, who also had six ace blocks. Spenner finished with 29 assists.
“We’ve been working on defense a lot since that’s one of our weaknesses. But today, I thought we did very well (defensively),’’ Boeding said. “When Sam gets the ball in a good position, we can do anything (offensively) because she’s such a good setter.’’
Seward (13-3) committed 12 unforced errors in the first set, including eight hitting miscues. The Bluejays, however, cleaned up their act in the second, forcing a third set by going on a 9-2 spurt to wipe out a 19-16 deficit.
With Seward clinging to a 21-20 lead, a kill by junior outside hitter Zoie Smetter and two straight point-ending swings by freshman Katie Hughes gave the Bluejays more breathing room at 24-20. A Boeding kill saved one Seward set point, but Hughes ended it with a tip over the block on the next point.
Smetter had five of her seven kills in the second set, while DeBoer recorded five of her seven in the third. Another junior outside, Laural Wagner, also finished with seven kills for the Jays. Junior setter Miranda Wisehart sparked the balanced attack with 29 assists.
“We played very well, we just got hurt in one rotation there in the third set that proved to be strong for them (the Shamrocks),” said Seward coach Tom Pallas, whose team was without sophomore starting middle Emily Cady for the finals.
Cady left for a club basketball tournament in the Kansas City, Mo., area after playing in Seward’s first two matches Saturday — victories against Lincoln Christian (25-18, 25-13) and Columbus Lakeview (25-16, 25-22).
“Their No. 8 (Boeding) and 9 (Beiermann) are really good hitters and they know where to place the ball,” the Seward coach said. “Scotus dug some balls we’d been putting down earlier and got it to their setter.”
The much anticipated showdown in the semifinals between Scotus and Class C-1 No. 4 Kearney Catholic never materialized. Schuyler, which entered the tournament 2-15, shocked Kearney Catholic 25-20, 12-25, 25-23 in the first round. The Stars (13-3) recovered to beat York and Beatrice and finished fifth.
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
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