SIOUX FALLS The Huron Tiger volleyball team saw its 2024 season come to an end Thursday night, as the No. 3 seeded Sioux Falls Washington Warriors led nearly the entire match, en route to a 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-19) win in the SoDak 16 AA round of play.
SFW, now 20-4, will carry the third seed into next weeks Class AA State Volleyball Tournament. Huron closes the book on an 8-15 season.
We knew that we were going to need to play nearly perfect volleyball on the left pin tonight, said Huron coach Josh Lien after the match. Aurora Dreyer did a great job over there on the block, but when you slow down one hitter the other comes alive and we didnt have an answer for the two of them.
The senior outside hitter duo of Cate Legel and Kaelyn Snoozy were the story of the match for Washington, as Snoozy ended the night with 18 kills, while Legel tallied nine kills for the Warriors.
Huron found themselves down 3-0 before the crowd had even settled down, as Snoozy got the Warriors rolling early. Jenzie Goergen got Huorn on the board and Addy Knight got a kill moments later, but Legel made the score 5-2.
The opening sequence was one that repeated consistently throughout the night, as Washington was able to string three or four points together before Huron was able to break the string with a point. Then the Warriors just hit repeat.
A Knight kills cut the Warriors lead to two points, but a quick 3-0 run opened some daylight for Washington and prompted a Lien timeout.
Out of the break, two Warrior errors cut the margin, but Snoozy righted the ship and Huron was never able to get closer than four points the rest of the way and Washington took the opening set 25-20, despite serving errors in the set by the Warriors.
Huron got its first lead of the night early in the second set, as a big swing from Samantha Mangmoradeth and an ace from Goergen staked the Tigers to a 2-1 lead.
Washington rallied with five straight points, compliments of Snoozy, Legel and Dana Harpe, but Aurora Dreyer and Mangmoradeth responded for Huron. Back-to-back hitting errors by Washington knotted the score at 9-9, but Huron returned the favor, committing three errors themselves and giving SFW a 12-10 lead. Dreyer got a kill, as did Aly Davis, and while the Tigers stuck around they werent able to tie the score again and Washington ended the set on a 9-1 for the 25-17 set win.
The teams played evenly in the very early going of the third set, as a Knight kill gave Huron a 3-2 lead. A quick 4-0 run, keyed by Legel and Harpe, put the Warriors up 6-3, however before a SFW service error.
Another 5-0 run, however, with a Legel kill and four Huron miscues put the lead at seven points, 11-4, and Huron wasnt able to mount a solid threat the rest of the way, as Washington punched its state tournament ticket with a 25-19 match clinching win.
I thought our kids played really hard tonight, coming in knowing we were up against huge odds, Lien said. I am proud of our effort all season long. We lose eight seniors off this team – and a lot of leadership – but I am enthused about the team we should have back next season.
Seniors Maddy Grace, Ashlyn Grace, Mangmoradeth, Alexis Ziegeldorf, Paige Sherron, Maddy Jurgens, Dreyer and Kirsten DeGeest have finished their high school volleyball careers.
Our work will begin next summer, Lien said. We need to be able to work together and develop our cohesiveness ahead of the season, to reach the next level.
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