NFV, West Central get best of Bulldogs
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
The MFL MarMac volleyball team dropped to 1-6 in Upper Iowa Conference play and 6-16 overall last week, with losses to North Fayette Valley and West Central.
Conference-leading NFV defeated the Bulldogs 3-0 Oct. 3. The TigerHawks took the first two sets easily, 25-7, but MFL MarMac closed the gap to 25-17 in the third.
The TigerHawks were more efficient at the net, tallying 30 kills to the Bulldogs’ 12, despite taking 15 fewer attempts. Their seven blocks and 50 digs further thwarted MFL MarMac offensively.
Autumn Shaw led MFL MarMac with four kills, and Ella Corlett, Lily Johnson and Maddie Keehner each had two. Makayla Morrissey and Mallory Lang combined for eight of the team’s 11 assists.
The Bulldog defense recorded no blocks, but collected 43 digs—nine apiece by Kaitlin Picha and Lauryn Johnson. Lang was next up with five.
NFV dominated from the service line, connecting on 98.6 percent of attempts, including 16 aces. The Bulldogs managed only four aces on 81.8 percent efficiency.
Picha was the team’s top server, hitting eight of nine attempts—three of which were aces. Morrissey also made eight of nine, while Avery Lamborn completed four of five chances with one ace.
MFL MarMac fell just short of its second conference victory Oct. 5, losing a 3-2 battle at West Central.
After winning the opening set 25-23, the Bulldogs lost the next two 25-21 and 25-17. They evened the game with a resounding 25-11 score in set four, but came up short, 15-11, in the final frame.
MFL MarMac again exceeded its opponent in kill attempts, but wasn’t able to capitalize as often at the net, trailing the Blue Devils 57 to 47.
Corlett earned 18 of those 47 kills, followed by Hannah Bogdonovich with 13, Lamborn eight and Keehner five.
Of MFL MarMac’s 40 assists, Lang had 18 and Shaw 17.
Defensively, Corlett and Devon Meyer each had a block assist. Lauryn Johnson led the back row efforts, totaling 38 of the team’s 103 digs. Bogdonovich came in at 16, Lang 14 and Mindy Keehner nine.
West Central won the battle at the service line, completing 93.8 percent of attempts, including nine aces. While the Bulldogs edged the Blue Devils with 10 aces, they made just 87 percent of their serves.
Lang was a perfect 19-19, and Lamborn hit 20 of 22, including a pair of aces. Corlett added two aces on a 15-16 night, while Bogdonovich cranked out four aces on 12-17 serving.
MFL MarMac will try to wrap up the regular season on a high note Oct. 10, in a conference battle at 2-13 Kee. The Bulldogs will begin postseason play Oct. 16, at Cascade.