Tigers come up short in state tourney opener

RAPID CITY — After getting off to a strong start, the Huron volleyball team wasn’t able to maintain its momentum during its opening match at the Class AA State Volleyball Tournament on Thursday at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.
Third-seeded Rapid City Stevens rebounded from a 25-13 loss in the opening set with set wins of 25-17, 25-21 and 25-23 to get past the sixth-seeded Tigers and secure a berth in the semifinals.
“There were a couple things we need to do really well — serve and serve receive,” Huron coach Shelly Buddenhagen said. “We just had too many errors. The kids battled and fought in that fourth set.”
The Tigers, who had suffered a five-set loss to Stevens during the regular season, set the tone early. An ace serve from Tenley Buddenhagen propelled Huron on a 10-1 run, which netted it a 20-7 advantage.
Highlighting the rally for the Tigers were seven consecutive service points by Alexis Urena.
The Raiders narrowed their deficit back to 10 points, but that would be as close as it would get as Huron took a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-13 victory in the set.
A pair of ace serves by Elizabeth Schaefer keyed a 5-0 run Stevens used to create some separation in the second set. The Raiders opened a 17-10 advantage and weren’t threatened after that point en route to a 25-17 win to even the match at 1-1.
After trailing by as many as seven points in the third set, the Tigers were able to shave their deficit to just three points near the end of the set. Back-to-back kills by Hollee Niehus pulled Huron to within three points at 24-21, but Stevens would thwart the rally to win the third set 25-21 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set would turn out to be the most competitive of the match, with neither team leading by more than four points throughout.

Huron would take a 6-3 advantage on a kill by Kayla Schimke.
The Raiders took their first lead of the set at 9-8, but the Tigers would battle back to regain the advantage with a 7-0 run to take their biggest lead of the set at 18-14 on an ace serve by Buddenhagen.
Schimke keyed the rally for Huron with a pair of kills, while Niehus had a kill and Jayda Shillingstad had a block kill.
The Tigers would hold a slim advantage until the very end of the set, while Stevens made its push for the victory and emerged with a 25-23 win in the set and a 3-1 win in the match.
“We were in position to win. I am really proud of the effort,” Buddenhagen said. “I feel bad for the girls. They are pretty upset right now, which is good thing to see because it shows they wanted to win.”
Schaefer and Phebie Rossi would finish with 10 and nine kills, respecitvely, to lead Stevens, which improved to 29-6.
Marlee Schneider had 24 assists and four aces for the Raiders. Laura Petik finished with a team-high 22 digs, while Schaefer and Kyah Watson had 18 and 17 digs, respectively. Rossie also recorded three blocks.
Niehus led the Tigers, who are now 14-11, with 19 kills, while Schimke had 11 kills. Shillingstad tallied 25 assists and had a team-high 14 digs and a block, while Isabell Ford had 10 digs.
Buddenhagen and Niehus each had three aces, while Schimke had a trio of blocks.
“We have to reset some goals. I know these seniors and they are going to reset their goal,” Buddenhagen said. “This team will come back and compete hard tomorrow.
“We are going to enjoy our time together and soak things up,” she said. “Hopefully the younger kids are learning. The seniors showed how tough it is to get here.”
Stevens advances to face the winner of the final match of the opening round between second-seeded Mitchell and No. 7 Washington in the semifinals at 7:45 p.m. MT today.
Huron will meet the loser of the final match in the consolation semifinals at 1:45 p.m. MT today.

Photos:

Huron’s Jayda Shillingstad sets the ball during a match against Rapid City Stevens in the opening round of the Class AA State Volleyball Tournament on Thursday at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

Huron’s Hollee Niehus serves during a match against Rapid City Stevens in the opening round of the Class AA State Volleyball Tournament on Thursday at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City.

Photos courtesy of South Dakota Public Broadcasting