After having its seasonopening match postponed due to heat last week Tuesday, the Langford Area volleyball team opened its fall campaign at a tournament in Estelline on Saturday, coming home with one win in three starts.
This week the Lady Lions hosted Leola-Frederick last night Tuesday, play at Northwestern on Thursday, and host Aberdeen Christian on Tuesday. The opener against Waverly-South Shore has been rescheduled for Sept. 18.
“It was time to play,” stressed LA coach Susan Larson. “Now we know some areas we need to focus on at practice. We would have liked to come home with a few more wins, but overall we played well. We will be working on our tip coverage and hitting that third ball over out of system.
“Even though most of the girls on the court have experience playing, Bayleann (Moen) is new to the team, Cali (Vander Vorst) and Eliana (Darling) are playing new positions, and we are running a new offense this year. That being said, we played alright, but more court time together is going to increase our teamwork and coverage.”
LA opened tournament play with a three-set win over Wilmot, rebounding from an opening-set loss. Dell Rapids St. Mary’s and Hitchcock-Tulare posted sweeps over the Lady Lions.
Langford Area 13-25-25 Wilmot 25-1-23
Megan Gustafson pounded out eight kills, while Eliana Darling, Bayleann Moen, and Gustafson teamed up for 10 aces to lead the win.
SERVING: LA, 46-53, 12 aces (Megan Gustafson 12-13, 3 aces; Eliana Darling 11-13, 4 aces; Cali Vander Vorst 10-10, 1 ace; Bayleann Moen 7-10, 3 aces)
HITTING: LA, 77-104, 26 kills (Gustafson 20-28, 8 kills; Moen 17-23, 5 kills; Darling 12-16, 5 kills; Bryanna Peterson 11-15, 4 kills; Vander Vorst 811, 3 kills)
SETTING: LA, 84-86, 24 assists (Tawnee Nelson 71-73, 24 assists
BLOCKS: LA, 4 (Moen 2, Gustafson 1, Vander Vorst 1)
DIGS: LA, 56 (Moen 17, Darling 14, Gustafson 10, Vander Vorst 10)
Dell Rapids SM 25-25 Langford Area 12-20
Langford Area battled back from a tough opening set but fell short against St. Mary’s. Moen had four kills, a pair of aces, and 13 assists to lead the Lady Lions, while Gustafson and E. Darling each added four kills at the net
SERVING: LA, 30-33, 2 aces (Bayleann Moen 7-8, 2 aces; Cali Vander Vorst 8-9; Megan Gustafson 6-6)
HITTING: LA, 54-63, 15 kills (Moen 15-20, 4 kills; Eliana Darling 1616, 4 kills; Gustafson 9-10, 4 kills)
SETTING: LA, 55-58, 15 assists (Moen 51-54, 13 assists)
BLOCKS: LA 1 (Vander Vorst 1) DIGS : LA, 30 (Gustafson 8, Alex Darling 8, Moen 5)
Hitchcock-Tulare 25-25 Langford Area 18-14
Moen had five kills and an ace, Tawnee Nelson seven assists, and Alex Darling 10 digs in the loss to Hitchcock-Tulare.
SERVING: LA, 29-32, 5 aces (Bayleann Moen 6-6, 1 ace; Megan Gustafson 6-7; Alex Darling 5-5)
HITTING: LA, 57-68, 9 kills (Moen 11-14, 5 kills; Bryanna Peterson 10-11, 2 kills; Eliana Darling 10-13; Gustafson 8-10, 1 kill; Cali Vander Vorst 8-10; Tawnee Nelson 7-7)
SETTING: LA, 52-55, 7 assists (Nelson 43-46, 7 assists)
BLOCKS: LA, 1 (Moen 1) DIGS: LA, 42 (A. Darling 10, E. Darling 8, Moen 7, Gustafson 6)
