Emerson-Hubbard goes 1-1 at BRLD Triangular

The Emerson-Hubbard Pirates went 1-1 at the BRLD Triangular on Thursday, falling 2-0 to the host Wolverines, but beating Winnebago 2-1.

BRLD took set one 25-15, and set two 25-16.

The Pirates won set one over the Indians, 25-13, and earned a 25-16 set three win after Winnebago won set two 25-16.

I thought Emerson-Hubbard did a good job to beat the Indians. It had to be nice for the Pirates to pick up that first win.

Emerson-Hubbard (1-10) takes part in the Ponca Invite on Tuesday.

The host Indians figure to be tough as they have swept the Pirates twice so far this season.

Ponca will certainly be a tough opponent for Emerson-Hubbard, but the Pirates have to come into this tournament thinking they've got a shot to beat anyone they take the floor against.

I look for Emerson-Hubbard to play with a boost of confidence following the win over Winnebago.

I don't know if it will be enough to beat Ponca, but I think the Pirates have a shot to compete better with the Indians, and perhaps win a set this time around.

Emerson-Hubbard has to use the Winnebago win as fuel and motivation to win even more matches this season.

It took a while for this team to win a match, but now that's it happened, I think this team can relax and play ball without feeling as much pressure.

The Pirates have to continue to build on last week's first win. Emerson-Hubbard has to look forward from here on out, the Pirates can't look back.

As encouraging and promising as Thursday's win was, Emerson-Hubbard can't dwell on it. The Pirates have to move on and focus on the task at hand on Tuesday.

There's a lot of season left for Emerson-Hubbard, and the Pirates have to keep getting better.

Emerson-Hubbard has to come out aggressive and passionate Tuesday night.

The Pirates have to do their best to compete with every team they play, and do everything in their power to win every match.

Emerson-Hubbard has to let the game come to them, and not force things.

Logan View winless in last six matches

The Logan View Raiders went 0-3 on Saturday, and have lost three times so far this week, falling 2-0 to Yutan, Homer, and Schuyler at their own Invite on Saturday, 2-0 to West Point-Beemer and Humphrey Lindsay/Holy Family on Tuesday, and 3-2 at home to Omaha Brownell-Talbot Thursday night.

The Chieftains downed the Raiders 25-7 in set one and 25-20 in set two.

The Knights defeated Logan View 25-14 in the first set, and 25-17 in the second set.

The Warriors topped the Raiders 25-15 in set one, and 25-11 in set two.

Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family beat Logan View 25-6 in the first set, and 25-13 in the second set.

The Cadets took care of the Raiders 25-10 in set one, and 25-17 in set two.

Logan View won the first set over Omaha Brownell-Talbot 25-18, BT took the second set 25-14 before LV won the third set 25-10. BT earned a 25-14 win in the fourth set, and took set five 15-11.

I thought Logan View did a great job battling back against Omaha Brownell-Talbot.

Logan View (1-12) takes part in the Louisville Invitational on Saturday.

The host Lions are pretty good as they are 8-3 on the season.

Things figure to be challenging for the Raiders in this match, but given the way Logan View competed against Omaha Brownell-Talbot, I think gives them a shot to do well against Louisville.

I think the way Logan View performed against Omaha Brownell-Talbot is a testament to these girls and their willingness to fight and battle no matter what the odds.

I look for Logan View to use the Omaha Brownell-Talbot match as motivation to do better in future matches.

I think the match could kind of kickstart something for this ball club.

I look for the Raiders to have a good showing on Saturday.

Win or lose, I think Logan View has a chance to be competitive and make more strides.

Even if the Raiders don't win this weekend, they have a chance next week against both Clarkson/Leigh and Madison.

These girls need to keep their spirits up and remain positive while continuing to work hard and having fun.

It has been a difficult season for Logan View without a doubt, but I think things are starting to look up a little bit for the Raiders.

Logan View just has to take things one point, one set, and one match at a time, and continue to improve and believe.

It will be interesting to see what the Raiders do this weekend. I think they have a chance to have some success.

Oakland-Craig 0-5 in last five matches

The Oakland-Craig Knights have lost their last five matches, falling 2-0 to BRLD and Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family at the Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Triangular last Tuesday before losing 3-0 at North Bend Central this past Tuesday. Oakland-Craig lost 2-0 to Arlington and GACC at the Arlington Triangular on Thursday.

The Wolverines downed the Knights 25-20 in the first set, and 25-18 in the second set.

The Bulldogs defeated Oakland-Craig 25-16 in set one, and 25-20 in set two.

The Tigers beat the Knights 25-14 in sets one and three, and 25-12 in set two.

The Eagles knocked off Oakland-Craig 25-12 in the first set, and 25-18 in set two.

The Bluejays took care of the Knights 25-14 in sets one and two.

Oakland-Craig is really struggling right now for whatever reason. I must say the Knights' struggles surprise me.

Oakland-Craig (2-9) takes part in the Scribner-Snyder Invite on Saturday.

Winnebago and the host Trojans are both in this tournament, and I think the Knights are capable of getting things back on track and beating both teams.

Success in this tournament really comes down to how bad Oakland-Craig wants it and how hard they are willing to work.

The wheels have sort of fallen off the wagon so to speak so it's time to put them back on and get things turned around if you are the Knights.

It's tough to continually lose the way Oakland-Craig has, but the Knights have to get back up on that horse and keep fighting.

Oakland-Craig has to be committed and dedicated to getting things turned around because they're the only ones that can get this thing headed in the right direction.

I'm sure frustration has probably settled in, but the Knights must continue to fight and battle through this adversity and these difficult times.

Sometimes you have to go through the bad to get to the good, and so perhaps Oakland-Craig can get their season back on track this weekend.

I don't know if the Knights have hit their low point yet, but if Oakland-Craig goes 0-3 this weekend, I would say they will have hit their low point.

Hopefully the Knights can get things turned around sooner rather than later because I feel this team is better than what they have shown so far.

These girls have to keep grinding and working hard to overcome the tough hand that has been dealt to them.

Oakland-Craig has lost to good teams so I think it's simply a matter of the Knights being more competitive against all teams, including the three this weekend.

Wisner-Pilger 2-2 in last four matches

The Wisner-Pilger Gators continue to hover around .500 as they lost 2-0 to Stanton, but beat Pender 2-0 at their home triangular on Tuesday before falling 2-1 to Crofton and beating Battle Creek 2-1 at their home triangular on Thursday.

The Gators defeated the Pendragons 25-18 in set one, and 25-22 in set two.

Jayda Oligmueller finished with 10 kills for Wisner-Pilger.

The Mustangs downed the Gators 25-19 in the first set, and 25-21 in the second set.

Oligmueller notched 8 kills.

The Warriors won set one over Wisner-Pilger, 25-23, and took set three, 25-12, after the Gators won set two 25-22.

Oligmueller totaled 13 kills and 9 digs while Maci Batenhorst registered 12 kills. Allissa Meyer posted 8 digs.

The Braves earned a 25-23 set one win before Wisner-Pilger won sets two and three 25-10 and 25-18.

Oligmueller recorded 17 kills and 10 digs while  Batenhorst registered 13 kills and 7 digs. Lauren Jacobsen added 12 digs while Ashton Meyer chipped in 7.

Wisner-Pilger has played good volleyball so far this week, in my opinion. The Gators competed with and lost to two tough teams, and beat two fairly decent teams.

Wisner-Pilger (6-5) hosts their own Invite on Saturday.

I think the Gators have a chance to be very competitive and pick up a good number of wins in this tournament.

Wisner-Pilger has been at home all week, and I feel like the Gators are starting to hit their stride.

This tournament is a good chance for Wisner-Pilger to make a statement and get on a roll.

I think the Gators are due to breakout at some point, and start winning a bunch of matches in a row.

I feel the time to do that could be now or pretty soon.

I think Wisner-Pilger is kind of like a caged animal ready to breakout.

I think the Gators have shown and proven to be a tough, resilient ball club so far this season.

I look for Wisner-Pilger to have a good day of volleyball on Saturday.

The Gators are at home, and I feel Wisner-Pilger has a good chance to do some damage.

The Gators have to be really in tune to the matches, and be fired up and ready to go.

Hopefully there's a respectable crowd on hand to cheer on these girls because I'm sure Wisner-Pilger could really use the support.

I think the Gators will find success this weekend.

Wisner-Pilger hosts a Double Triangular against Madison and BRLD on Tuesday so being in the midst of a bunch of home matches, the Gators have to take advantage of all the play on their home floor.

We will see if Wisner-Pilger can gain a bunch of momentum on Saturday.

Winnebago 3-3 over last six matches

The Winnebago Indians are 3-3 in their last three matches, downing Santee, Omaha Nation, and Walthill 2-0 at their own tourney on Saturday, before falling 3-1 to the Chiefs on the road Tuesday, and Emerson-Hubbard 2-1 and BRLD 2-0 at the BRLD Triangular on Thursday.

The Indians defeated the Warriors 25-20 in set one, and 25-9 in set two.

Winnebago downed Omaha Nation the first time around 25-14 in the first set, and 25-21 in the second set.

The Indians beat the Blujays 25-20 in set one, and 25-21 in set two.

Zena Harden totaled 11 digs.

Winnebago took the first set from the Chiefs the second time around, 25-17, before Omaha Nation won the second set 25-20, the third set 25-21, and the fourth set 25-16.

Allie Frenchman recorded 15 kills and 11 digs while Delicia Payer notched 8 set assists.

The Indians lost 25-3 in set one, and 25-8 in set two to the Wolverines.

The Pirates earned a 25-13 set one win and won set three 25-16 following a 25-16 set two win by Winnebago.

Payer finished with 14 digs and 8 set assists while Jonna Price registered 9 digs.

Winnebago did some really nice things on Saturday, and showed more signs of promise on Tuesday and Thursday.

The Indians (3-10) take part in the Scribner-Snyder Invite on Saturday.

I think Winnebago has what it takes to be competitive in this tournament.

The host Trojans are tough, and I'm sure every other team in this tourney will give the Indians their best shot though.

Winnebago has to rediscover what worked last weekend, and become a more consistent club.

I would say the Indians have sort of struggled this week so far, but there have been some good things too.

I think it's simply a matter of Winnebago maintaining intensity and a high level of play throughout matches.

It's not that the Indians have gotten lax in matches, but Winnebago has to keep the foot on the throttle all day long on Saturday and from here on out.

I really think the Indians can have a good day on the court, Winnebago just has to have things all come together like they did last weekend.

The Indians have learned how to win at home, now it's a matter of figuring out how to win on the road and at neutral sites.

If Winnebago can figure out how to win away from home, they are more than capable of turning their season around and doing some good things yet this year.

Building a program into a winner takes time, but I feel the Indians have made some strides in doing so and are headed in the right direction.

Winnebago has to remain positive and stick with things, and they will be just fine in the end.

These girls have to keep grinding, battling, and fighting, and keep believing in themselves and their teammates.

Pender falls to Stanton and Wisner-Pilger

The Pender Pendragons fell 2-0 to Stanton and Wisner-Pilger at the Wisner-Pilger Triangular on Tuesday.

The Gators won the first set 25-18, and took set two 25-22.

The Mustangs downed the Pendragons 25-15 in the first set, and 25-16 in the second set.

I thought Pender was competitive in both matches, they just played two tough teams.

The Pendragons (5-6) host Scribner-Snyder (4-4) Monday night.

The Trojans lost 3-1 at home to BRLD this past Tuesday night.

Pender has to slow down Kaylee Boyle, Savanah Miller, and Nicole Boyle.

This trio was lethal against the Wolverines despite the loss.

The Pendragons need to focus in on slowing down all three players, and force others to step up and beat them.

I think this is a match Pender is very capable of winning. I think the Pendragons have a fairly decent chance to take this match in four sets.

Both teams are experienced and have a handful of seniors so that should make for a very competitive match.

Both squads have had a number of close sets this year so I look for all sets to be close.

I give the advantage to Pender being they're at home and in a little bit of a larger class, but don't count out Scribner-Snyder.

The Pendragons have to forget about what happened on Tuesday and move on.

For the most part, Pender won't see that level of competition until the end of the regular season, when they face Howells-Dodge.

The Pendragons have a lot of matches next week so getting the first one would go a long ways in setting the tone for the rest of the week, in my opinion.

A win would also give Pender the confidence and momentum they need to compete with and "upset" Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family on the road Tuesday, in my mind.

Clarkson/Leigh 1-3 in last four matches

The Clarkson/Leigh Patriots are 1-3 over their last three matches as they lost 2-0 to Hartington Cedar Catholic and Battle Creek, and beat Laurel-Concord-Coleridge 2-1 at the Stanton Tournament on Saturday. Clarkson/Leigh fell 3-0 at Twin River Tuesday night.

The Patriots defeated the Bears 25-19 in set one. Laurel-Concord-Coleridge won set two 25-20 before Clarkson/Leigh took set three 25-12.

Shelby Paprocki had 12 kills and 9 digs while Hannah Kasik notched 11 kills. Kaegan Held registered 22 set assists.

The Trojans knocked off the Patriots 25-9 in the first set, and 25-20 in the second set.

Held recorded 10 set assists.

The Braves earned a 25-20 win in set one and took set two as well.

Paprocki registered 7 kills and 13 digs while Held dished out 20 set assists.

The Titans downed Clarkson/Leigh 25-19 in the first set, 25-10 in the second set, and 25-20 in the third set.

The Patriots have ran into some tough teams lately. Clarkson/Leigh has remained competitive for the most part, it's just they've played stout competition in larger classes.

The Patriots (5-5) take on Burwell (6-7) in the Hampton Tournament on Saturday.

The Longhorns went 1-1 at the Heartland Lutheran Triangular on Tuesday, beating the host Red Hornets 2-0, but losing 2-1 to Palmer.

Both these teams are kind of in the same boat in that they've faced some tough competition.

I would say Clarkson/Leigh has lost to better teams, but I would say Burwell has beaten better teams.

This really is a toss up match if you ask me.

Both teams are pretty young, and don't have many senior contributors.

Neither squad was in this tournament last year so this is a new thing for both squads this season.

I think it's going to come down to which team familiarizes themselves with things the soonest.

The gym, the floor, the atmosphere, and the crowd are all things both teams are going to have to adapt to.

The game of Volleyball remains the same though, and the Patriots have to simply play their game.

Clarkson/Leigh has a chance to do well in this tournament I think. The host Hawks are really good, but I think the Patriots have a chance to knock off the Longhorns at the very least.

If Clarkson/Leigh can go 2-1 in this tournament, I think it would be a good lift, and a big confidence and momentum booster for the Patriots.

This team is still young, but could grow up in a big way this weekend.

Clarkson/Leigh has a chance to do some damage next week I think so if the Patriots could do some damage this weekend it would only help and benefit Clarkson/Leigh heading into next week's matches.