Howells-Dodge goes 2-1 at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Tourney

The Howells-Dodge Jaguars went 2-1 at Saturday's Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Tourney, sweeping Twin River and Clarkson/Leigh 2-0, but losing 2-1 to the host Bulldogs.

The Jaguars defeated the Patriots 25-11 in set one, and 25-22 in set two.

Sam Brester led the way with 8 kills while Kalli Brester had 7. Tessa Brester dished out 18 set assists.

Howells-Dodge beat the Titans 25-17 in the first set, and 25-19 in the second set.

Erin Prusa paced the Jaguars with 7 kills while Tessa Brester registered 21 set assists.

Howells-Dodge took set one from Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family 25-23, but dropped set two 25-23, and set three 25-18.

Kalli Brester had 11 kills for the Jaguars. Sam Brester posted 8 while Tessa Brester recorded 30 set assists.

Overall I thought Howells-Dodge played well. I was a bit surprised the Jaguars didn't put the Bulldogs away after taking set one, but you can't win them all.

Howells-Dodge (19-2) takes on Logan View (2-18) in the opening round of the East Husker Conference Tournament at home on Thursday.

The Raiders lost 3-0 at BRLD last Tuesday. The Jaguars swept Logan View 3-0 at home on September 15th.

This should be an easy win for Howells-Dodge, but the Jaguars need to play well and win handily to set the tone for the rest of the tournament.

It's very possible Howells-Dodge will see Stanton again so the Jaguars need to be on top of their game heading into that potential match.

Howells-Dodge gets the BRLD/West Point-Beemer winner in their second match, and I don't look for either one of those teams to be easy either.

The Jaguars need to be at their best in this tournament. Every set and match counts, and Howells-Dodge needs to step up and rise up to the challenge.

The Jaguars are definitely capable of winning this tournament and should be able to compete for the championship.

Sam, Kalli, and Tessa Brester all need to continue to perform at a high level for this team. All three had good matches on Saturday, and really led this team. I can't forget about Prusa either.

Howells-Dodge has to use Saturday's loss to Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family as a rallying point. The Jaguars have to use the loss as motivation to play well in the conference tournament, and come away as champions.

There are some really good teams in this conference, and anyone is certainly capable of upsetting anyone, and making noise, but I definitely think Howells-Dodge is one of the top contenders.

I look for the Jaguars to play well on Thursday and throughout the tournament. I think fans will see Howells-Dodge on top of their game come Thursday and Saturday.