By NATE BEIER | For the County Line
The Scenic Bluffs Conference title race got a lot more interesting when Cashton surprised Royall on Sept. 17 with a 3–1 victory.
The two teams traded blows amid a raucous crowd for four sets, but the Eagles came out with a big win in set one, 25–16. Royall returned the favor in set two, winning 25–15, but from there on out, the Eagles settled in and focused on knocking off the defending conference champs.
Cashton won set three 25–18 and edged the Panthers 26–24 to close the match.
Coach Craig Baeseman complimented Cashton on its effort and pointed out that the Eagles hadn’t made the mistakes that his own team had. He warned that his team needed to learn from the experience quickly, as the two would face off Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the second of the Scenic Bluffs Conference quads. Royall will open play that afternoon against Hillsboro, making it a very important night in Scenic Bluffs Conference action.
Paige Hyer landed 22 kills at Cashton, and Kenzie Baeseman added 16. Baeseman also recorded 18 assists.
Defensively, Hyer had seven digs; and Baeseman and Ally Stanek, six a piece. Claire Herek had two blocks on the night.
Royall is 19–4 overall and 8–1 in league play.
Royall 3, New Lisbon 0
Royall swept New Lisbon 3–0 on Sept. 22 in Elroy, winning 25–11, 25–19 and 25–20.
Hyer and Baeseman each recorded 15 kills, and Stanek tallied a pair of serving aces.
Kelsey Vieth led the team with six digs, and Baeseman added three of her own.
Brookwood netters fell Rockets
A hungry Brookwood volleyball team was served a bad meal early, but finished with a dessert in the end, a 3–1 win against New Lisbon on Sept 24.
The Rockets took the first set 25–20, but Brookwood responded with three straight wins, 25–16, 25–22 and 26–24, to ground visiting New Lisbon.
Zoey Rynes had 13 of the team’s 25 kills and contributed five blocks in the win.
Ellen Marriott and Rynes were both perfect in serving as well.
“Our passing and defense is what held us together,”said coach Jeanine Brieske. “With those two important building blocks, we were able to set it up and put the ball away. I’m very proud of how the girls hustled for everything and worked together for the win.”
Brookwood improves to 9–12 on the season and 3–5 in league play following the win.
Hillsboro 3, Brookwood 1
The Falcons started slow but picked up the pace, taking a rare set from the Tigers in a 3–1 loss.
Brookwood landed eight serving aces against Hillsboro, but was down to an 88 percent serving total as a team.
Rylee Hall and Zoey Rynes each tallied four blocks, and the two combined for 15 kills. Bridget Cleven had 12 assists.
The Falcons will travel to New Lisbon on Tuesday for the Scenic Bluffs Conference quad with Bangor, Necedah and New Lisbon.