The Arlington High School volleyball team's first best-of-five-set match victory of the season didn't start well Thursday night.
Service errors weighed down the Eagles (6-17 overall) early against the Schuyler Warriors.
“The first set was definitely rough for us,” senior Kaylie Herman said after the home matchup. “I think we had either a one-and-done serve or we just missed our serve right of way, which is really a killer.”
Coach Erin Stosich's team turned the match around, though. After five best-of-three tournament and triangular wins, it beat the Warriors in four sets, 3-1, for its sixth overall. AHS lost the first set 25-21, but won the next three 25-9, 25-15 and 25-10.
Freshman setter Addilyn Hilgenkamp said huddles filled with high-fives and congratulations were fun to be apart of as the match went the Eagles' way.
“It's so positive and it's a very good environment,” she said, describing the experience.
Even as Arlington struggled through the first set, Herman said her team gave itself a boost coming back from a 17-12 deficit to make it close.
“We definitely carried that momentum and energy and communication over,” she explained.
All three factors led to a seven-point second-set lead before Schuyler's first timeout. Peyton Timm aced a serve at 5-1 before Macy Wolf and Rylie Kyllo notched kills at 7-2 and 9-2, respectively.
“I think, offensively, our attackers just got down (on the ball),” Hilgenkamp said, crediting Wolf specifically. “And I think, honestly, our positivity just kept up more.”
Mylee Hadan notched her own ace serve at 10-2 before Herman served three in a row from 15-7 to 17-7 in the Eagles' favor.
“I really had to just think to myself, 'OK, take a breath. Go back there and do your thing,'” Herman said of her approach.
AHS' Lacey Bosshart notched a block at 20-8, too, before Hilgenkamp scored match point with another ace, pulling the home team into a 1-1 tie. Coach Stosich's team didn't stop there, though.
“We stuck to our guns and we did everything that we were supposed to do,” Herman said. “We stayed disciplined and we kept our foot on the gas.”
The Eagles won the third set by 10, capping it with an unreturned Evie Walkenhorst serve, a Herman kill and, finally, a successful Wolf swing.
Then, during the lopsided fourth set, a Corinne Crosland ace and a Bosshart win at the net led to match point. Arlington officially earned the victory when Schuyler hit the ball long.
Eagles play 3 more Saturday
Coach Stosich's AHS team competed in three more matches Saturday, but did not have the same success. The Eagles went 0-3 during the Raymond Central Invite, falling to Class B No. 10 York (25-13, 25-9), Omaha Westview (25-16, 25-22) and Hastings (25-22, 25-23).
“We all were just low on energy,” Stosich said.
Arlington next competes 6:30 p.m. today back Raymond Central. The junior varsity match starts at 5:30 p.m.
AHS VOLLEYBALL LINE SCORES
Saturday
Hastings 2, Arlington 0
AHS (6-17) 22 23 — 0
HHS 25 25 — 2
Omaha Westview 2, Arlington 0
AHS (6-16) 16 22 — 0
OW 25 25 — 2
No. 10 York 2, Arlington 0
AHS (6-15) 13 9 — 0
YHS 25 25 — 2
Thursday
Arlington 3, Schuyler 1
SHS (2-14) 25 9 15 10 — 1
AHS (6-14) 21 25 25 25 — 3
