Cyclones get mauled by Tigers; drop three straight

Emotions are a part of sports and winning is not easy and never guaranteed. Tuesday at home, the HCHS varsity volleyball team ran up against a buzz saw as the Red Oak Tigers dominated them, winning three straight sets 25-21, 25-19 and 25-15. According to head coach Elle Crees, communication was the biggest challenge of the night.

With these losses, the Cyclones fall to 7-8 on the season. Despite some tough losses on the night, there were still a few highlights to take away.

“We had some players really step up,” Crees said. “I thought Haley Bladt and Erica Rust really helped us to execute and stay consistent. All the girls contributed individually. We just weren't able to put it all together.”

Bladt leads the team with 75 kills, while Rust leads with 12 blocks, spending a majority of her time at the net.

But it’s not just Bladt and Rust that are dominating. Senior Madison Kjergaard leads the team with 130 digs, averaging 3.3 per game. Senior Macy Reischl leads the way with 191 assists, averaging 4.8 per game and has 22 serve aces.

Throughout the night, the Cyclones were fighting hard, trying to do everything in their power to score points and prevent the Tigers from scoring, but it just wasn’t working. During game three, Crees pulled the team together for a timeout and gave some words of encouragement to the team.

“We just talked about having that belief in each other and communication must increase to have to improve to win the match,” Crees said.

The Tigers were led by Junior Merced Ramirez, who led the way in multiple categories with 20 assists, three kills and 1.7 serve aces.

The Cyclones will have a few days off before heading out on the road for the Nevada Varsity Volleyball Tournament Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m., in which 16 teams will participate.

“All of the teams, there are larger teams,” Crees said. “I believe they will all be solid competition. Looking forward to preparation, we will need immense communication work and just continue to bring our best efforts every match.”