Bulldogs start conference play with win
Lily Johnson is one of several offensive threats for the MFL MarMac volleyball team. Here, she attempts a kill in the Sept. 19 match at Clayton Ridge, two days after earning a double-double versus West Central. (Photo by Audrey Posten)
By Audrey Posten
The MFL MarMac volleyball team started Upper Iowa Conference play Sept. 17, with a 3-1 win at West Central.
The Bulldogs edged the Blue Devils 25-23 in the opening set, then cruised to a 25-12 advantage in the second. West Central kept the game alive with a 25-23 win in the third set, but MFL MarMac closed it out with a 25-16 score in the fourth.
“It felt so good starting conference play with a win,” said head coach Becky Johnson. “We had met West Central earlier in the season, but I told the team to never assume anything based on what we saw earlier. The game of volleyball is unpredictable, and we need to remain calm and confident to play consistent volleyball.”
All players on the roster were eligible for this match, so Johnson ran a different offense and lineup than in the first few weeks, and utilized two setters for a true 6-2 offense.
“We were able to side-out 56 percent on the night, which is much improved from some other matches where we didn’t come out on top,” Johnson said.
The Bulldogs netted 36 kills, nearly a third of them from sophomore Lily Johnson, who had 10. She added 16 digs for the first double-double of the season.
Maddie Keehner finished the night with eight kills, Avery Lamborn seven, Autumn Shaw five and Devon Meyer four. Lauryn Johnson led the team with 25 digs.
Addison Corlett was a threat at the serving line, going 100 percent on 25 attempts, including six aces. The team racked up 25 aces overall and had a serve efficiency of 86.3 percent.
“In addition to [Corlett’s] setting and serving, she played great defense with nine digs. When she plays great defense, other players have to step up and set our hitters for an out-of-system play,” Johnson said. “Lily and Lauryn Johnson did a great job placing the ball where it needed to be when we were out-of-system, and our hitters were comfortable swinging on those sets.”
“We had multiple hitters with a positive hitting efficiency, which shows how versatile our offense can be,” Johnson added.
MFL MarMac couldn’t ride that momentum into the next match, a 3-0 loss at Clayton Ridge on Sept. 19. After dropping the first set 25-13, the Bulldogs battled back and forth with the Eagles in the next frame, but fell 25-23. Clayton Ridge won the final set 25-19.
The Bulldogs connected on just 19 of 87 kill attempts in this game. Meyer topped the stat sheet with six, and Keehner and Lamborn each had four. Corlett led the team with 13 assists.
Lauryn Johnson collected 11 of the team’s 45 digs, followed by Corlett with 10 and Lily Johnson eight. The MFL MarMac defense also tallied eight blocks, three each from Keehner and Autumn Shaw.
The Bulldogs served well, hitting 92.5 percent of attempts. Corlett was again perfect, this time on 13 serves, and Lauryn Johnson was 9-9 with an ace. Morgan Jacobson hit eight of nine chances and led the team with three aces.
MFL MarMac wrapped up the week Sept. 21, in a tournament at Waukon. This week, they’ll host Central on Thursday, Sept. 26, then play in a tournament at Decorah on Saturday, Sept. 28.
