Warriors open volleyball season learning from losses
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
The Central volleyball team kicked off its season last week at the Lisbon Classic, facing some tough, out-of-conference competition, and they had to do it without a key leader in Tori Sylvester, who was sidelined by a practice injury.
The loss led to some strategy adjustments throughout the tournament, but her “absence was felt,” said coach Kelly Erickson.
The Warriors opened the tournament against a strong Lisbon Lions squad, who took advantage of Central’s six serving and 12 hitting errors. Central lost in straight sets, 21-10 and 21-12. Despite the loss, Erickson looked to the positives.
“Despite these challenges, the experience was a valuable learning opportunity, as we look to refine our game and address these issues moving forward,” she said.
Leading the way on offense were Alivia Wiley and Oakley Armstrong, each contributing three kills, while Reese Berns, added two. On the defensive side, Wiley and Brylee Erickson finished with five digs each, followed by Katie Royer with four. Royer also led the team with six assists.
“Their efforts were crucial as we worked to adjust and improve throughout the night,” Erickson said.
The Warriors took on the Tipton Tigers in the second match and showed “significant improvement,” Erickson said. The team recorded fewer serving errors, committing just four against the Tigers, while also reducing their hitting errors to nine. Though Central still lost to the Tigers in straight sets, 21-19 and 21-11, Erickson felt it was a “positive step” for a team still refining its performance and preparing for conference play.
Several athletes contributed one kill, including Brylee Erickson, Royer, Armstrong, Wiley, Berns, Ella Frieden, Maci Keppler and Tessa Sylvester, totaling eight kills for the match. Defensively, Royer led with Erickson with four and Keppler three.
“I noticed a significant improvement in our serve receive, as we became better at reading the serves and coordinating with each other. This progress was encouraging and reflects our growth as a team,” Erickson said.
The final match was against the Alburnett Pirates, in what was the “best offensive performance of the night,” Erickson said. Central lost a close first set 21-18, before rallying to win the second 21-16, but fell to the Pirates 15-6 in the third.
Serving and hitting errors once again undid the Warriors, as they accumulated 10 serving errors across three sets and 11 hitting errors. Those errors “made a big difference in those close sets,” Erickson said.
On the positive side, the Warriors saw an increase in kills, with Wiley leading the team with four, followed by Tessa Sylvester and Armstrong with three each. Royer and Frieden added two kills each, and Berns chipped in one.
Several players stepped up defensively, including Erickson, who led the way with seven digs. Royer totaled six and Armstrong had five digs.
“Although we didn’t secure a win in any of the matches, the experience was invaluable. We gained significant insights into areas where we need improvement before conference play kicks off,” Erickson said.
The team will focus on addressing serve efficiency and reducing errors overall, but even with those challenges, Erickson remained “optimistic about applying” what the players learned in upcoming games.
“We’ve discussed the importance of reducing our errors, and that’s something we’ll be focusing on throughout the week. One of my main goals for the season is to significantly improve our serving game, so this will remain a priority in our practices,” Erickson said.
The Warriors’ upcoming schedule includes two quads. The first was at home Sept. 3, with Charles City, Cedar Valley Christian and Clayton Ridge. The second quad is at Crestwood on Thursday, Sept. 5, against Crestwood, Waukon and South Winneshiek. The Warriors finish the week Saturday, Sept. 7, with the Midland Tournament.
