'Beeters Rolling on the Road, Top Chester/J-I in Four Sets, Sweep Fort Benton
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The Chinook bench has had plenty to cheer about lately as they continue to string together quality conference wins.
The Chinook Sugarbeeter Volleyball team extended their conference win streak to eight matches following a 3-1 win Friday night in Chester against the Hawks and a sweep of the Longhorns in Fort Benton on Saturday. The 'Beeters moved into sole possession of the number two spot in the District 7C standings with a 10-3 record.
The Chinook Sugarbeeters made the most of their trip to Chester Friday coming away with a 25-23, 20-25, 28-26, 25-18 win over the Hawks. The Sugarbeeters attack was relentless all night long, racking up 54 Kills in the win.
Chinook slammed home 17 Kills in the opening set, 13 more in the second, 16 in the third and another 14 in the fourth set clincher. Junior, Hallie Neibauer, led the attack racking up a team high 22 Kills in the win. Junior, Teagan Richman, added 11 and senior, Bree Swanson, nine for the 'Beeters.
Junior, Mya Berreth, played a big part in the team's success with their attack, setting the hitters up with 28 Assists. Sophomore , Addison Olsen, was superb as well with 18 Assists of her own. Olsen served up a team high three Aces as well. Defensively senior, Torin Cecrle, led the way digging up a team high 25 balls. Sophomore, Rilee Molyneaux, Berreth and Swanson each recorded 14 digs against the Hawks.
Saturday in Fort Bent the 'Beeters were impressive with their relentless attack and outstanding defensive play at the net as well as in the back row. The Longhorns were fired up at the start, having honored their seniors prior to the start of the match. It didn't take long for the 'Beeters grab all the momentum for themselves. Chinook took the opening set 25-20 to set the tone. The 'Beeters amped up their attack in set number two recording a 25-15 set win and held of a Longhorn rally in set number three, completing the sweep with a 28-26 third set win.
Fort Benton defeated Chinook on the 'Beeter's home court early on in the season and the team was certainly looking to turn the tables Friday night. The match was very tightly contested early on. Neibauer got the offense started with a big swing for a point and Berreth set Richman for a Kill to even the set at 3-3. Neibauer soon followed with another big Kill but once again the Longhorns had a answer.
The back and forth action continued at a furious pace with long vollies, diving saves and a strong attacks from both sides of the court. Of the first 19 points put on the board, there were seven lead changes and eight ties. Senior, Belle Elliot, gave the 'Beeters a 10-9 lead with a block at the net. From their Chinook never relinquished their advantage.
Swanson came up big at the net stopping the Longhorn attack, Molyneaux followed with an Ace to extend their lead to 12-9. Belle then thwarted another Longhorn attack and Neibauer slammed home a Kill right down the length of the net from her outside position to put Chinook up 15-11.
The 'Beeters continued to swing hard and Cecrle dug up every attack that got past the blockers. Berreth and Olsen were spot on with their sets and the team was in sync across the court. Chinook used that steady play to secure a 25-20 first set win.
Set number two began with all the momentum belonging to the visiting Sugarbeeters. Chinook did spot the Longhorns a brief lead at the start but soon grabbed a 7-6 lead following a block from Swanson. Molyneaux and Swanson each added another Kill following a Fort Benton timeout to put Chinook on top 11-6.
Swanson and Molyneaux continued to attack the Longhorns winning on both sides of the net with big swings and perfectly timed blocks. Richman placed a ball perfectly in an empty spot in the Longhorn defense Neibauer crushed a set from Berreth after Cecrle made a spectacular save to put Chinook up 20-14. Senior, Lexi Pitkanen, scored a Kill, Neibauer added two more Kills to her nightly total. Cecrle then made another great play in the back row setting the stage for little flip from Neibauer that three Longhorns couldn't control for a 25-15 second set win.
Chinook certainly wanted to end the match in three sets and avoid giving any momentum back to the Longhorns on their own court.
The 'Beeters started strong taking a 2-0 lead after a long cross court set to Richman for the Kill. Molyneaux added another Kill down the line to keep the 'Beeters in control. Berreth then set Swanson who the gently tipped the ball just over the Longhorn block for a 8-3 'Beeter advantage.
Fort Benton started to string some points together and seemed to be swing some momentum back to their side. Fort Benton soon closed the gap to 11-10 leading to a Chinook timeout. Neibauer seemed to get things back on track with a big swing right down the middle for a 13-10 lead, but Fort Benton soon evened the set at 13-13.
The 'Beeters never gave up the lead and soon forged a 23-18 advantage. Neibauer dug up a tough ball at the net leading directly to a block from Elliot that pushed the Longhorns to the edge 24-19. Amazingly Fort Benton would even the score at 24-24. Swanson scored on a Kill that found the corner and then ended it with an Ace for a 28-26 third set win giving the 'Beeters the 3-0 sweep..
Neibauer once again led the attack with 15 Kills in the win. Swanson added 12 hitting .440 on the night. As a team the 'Beeters hitting percentage was .202 in the win. Berreth set the hitters up with 19 Assists and Olsen added 10. Chinook served the ball very well, connecting on 95% of their attempts.
The 'Beeters cheering section has always been loud and shows up every match at home and on the road to support the team. The volleyball team returns the favor, when the schedule allows, during Friday night football games.
The 'Beeters were outstanding at the net. Neibauer 11 total Blocks while Swanson added seven. Cecrle dug up 16 balls and Swanson 12. The 'Beeters recorded 13 solo blocks as a team to go along with 18 block assists. The defense also include 57 digs in a total team effort
Chinook Head Coach Paula Molyneaux was very happy with her teams performance this past week, "We had a great weekend on the road as we defeated both Chester/Joplin-Inverness and Fort Benton on all levels. As a team we are finding some consistency which is extremely important as we move into the post season."
The front row played really well this week, "Our net play, especially against Fort Benton was exciting as was our defensive performance. As a team we had over 20 blocks and controlled the net," said Molyneaux. "The work they have been putting in on our philosophy of relentless pursuit and not letting the ball hit the floor without maximum effort is beginning to pay off."
