Volleyball trophy time for Calvary Lutheran

Team takes second in district tournament

When the trophies were handed out following the championship match of the Class 1 District 9 volleyball tournament, it was tough to tell which team won and which team lost.

While the New Haven Shamrocks were pleased to claim the first-place plaque, their screams of delight were basically matched by those of the second-place Calvary Lutheran Lady Lions.

That's because the second-seeded Lady Lions were happy with the way they finished out a 25-9, 25-16 loss to the top-seeded Shamrocks.

"We were very pleased with how we did tonight," Calvary coach Nikki Kueck said. "We knew going into this match it was going to be a very tough competition. We knew that we could play with them if we set our minds to it."

New Haven, which has won 29 district titles in volleyball and has made nine Final Four appearances that include state championships in 1991, 1992, 2000 and 2005, appeared poised while winning the first six points of the night.

"It took us awhile in that first set to get into the flow and that really did affect the result of that first set," Kueck said.

Calvary, which is still seeking its first district title in any team sport, was making its second appearance in a volleyball district title match. The start of the first set might have shown the Lady Lions' relative inexperience in a high-pressure match.

"I think he first set we got off to a rocky start and part of it was we let our knowledge of what New Haven's program is like get to us a little bit," Kueck said.

Calvary righted the ship soon after, winning four of the next five points, including two kills by Kyra Wiegers and one by Emily Layson.

But New Haven responded with a 17-3 run to surge ahead, and then claimed the set soon after.

The Shamrocks' middle hitters racked up seven kills in the first game, while Calvary had just five as a team.

"We knew going into this match they had very strong middles," Kueck said. "We knew that we had to react and cover well, and we weren't covering as well as we should have in that first set. But we picked it up in the second set."

The Lady Lions fell behind 7-1 to start the second set, but Kueck's words started to sink in soon after.

"I said, "Girls, you've got to leave it all on the floor. You've got to play your hearts out. If you don't, you're going to look back and have regrets,'" Kueck said. "It really showed the last few plays how hard they were working and how solid they were playing. We were competing with them and making them work for their points, and that's what I wanted them to do."

The Shamrocks' lead stayed around eight points and Calvary cut the lead to 16-8 on a kill by Layson.

A 7-2 spurt by New Haven got it within two points of the win at 23-10. But Calvary made one last push, winning six of seven points to get within 25-16.

But the Shamrocks got the 13th kill by a middle hitter on the night to end it.

"The girls pushed themselves," Kueck said. "I saw the girls when they were subbing in and out, and I said, "You girls are pooped already.' And they were like, "Yeah, we're working hard.' And I said, "That's what I want, that's what I need you to do.'"

Layson tied for the match high with seven kills, while Wiegers had three. Jessica Stark had five assists and Jena Fischer had four service points, which included one ace.

Taylor Covington had seven kills to pace New Haven (29-5) and fellow middle hitter Lauren Bergner added six. Erin Scheer had 11 assists and nine service points.

Calvary ends the season with a record of 15-12-3.

"This was the best record we've had in a season so far for volleyball, finishing above .500, so I'm very pleased about that," Kueck said. "And looking at the teams we played, we only lost to two Class 1 teams, everybody else we lost to was Class 2 or 3. I do feel like they are improving continually and the program itself is building."