~by Taylor Teays for The Scranton Journal
The Greene County volleyball team saw the court seven times during the week starting Monday, Sept. 27. The team traveled to Roland-Story High School in Story City to face Marshalltown and Newton during the Roland-Story Tournament.
The first game was a loss for Greene County, winning the first set 21-13 but falling short in the second and third, with scores of 14-21 and 8-15.
In the second game of the night, the team saw more success. Greene County beat out Newton in two sets 21-8 and 21-17. Two players were out with injuries, Katrina Heupel with an injured elbow and Brianna Habben with a knee issue.
Bella Schroeder led in kills for the night with seven between the two games. Natalie Heupel and Emma Schroeder followed behind with six kills each.
On Tuesday, Sept. 28, the team faced off against West Marshall in Jefferson. The injured starters from Monday night were still on the bench, and Violet Reedy took a ball to the face in the first set. The Rams fell to the Trojans 1-3 with set scores of 23-25, 17-25, 25-23, and 12-25.
Schroeder led the night in kills, claiming 12, with Emma Shipley close behind with 11. Serving for the Rams was 91-percent for the team.
“We were missing two of our starters due to injuries, so we were dealing with some new situations on the court. The girls did really well to adjust,” said coach Chris Heisterkamp. The loss caused Greene County to fall 10-7 on the season and 2-2 in conference matches.
Saturday, Oct. 2, brought a home tournament for the Rams where the team went 3-1 in the day. The first game of the day put the Rams face to face with the Pella Christian Eagles. The first set went to the Eagles 21-13, but the Rams were able to come back in the second, scoring 21 points against the opponent’s 17. Greene County secured the match win in the third set, earning 15 points and holding Pella Christian to 11.
The Rams saw their second win of the day in their match against Des Moines Hoover. The Rams took the win in just two sets, with scores of 21-12 and 21-10. This win took the Rams to 13-7 on the season.
The third match of the day brought the Rams their only loss for the weekend, falling to Carroll. The first set was close, with the Rams taking the loss 21-19. Greene County rallied in the second set, taking it 21-18, but weren’t able to hold off the Tigers in the third, losing 15-7.
The final match for the Rams was a win against the Grinnell Tigers. The Rams were able to secure the win after letting the first set go to the Tigers 21-19, but coming back to win the next two 21-18 and 15-6.
For the day, Schroeder took the lead in kills, claiming 18; Kaylee Stalder and Natalie Heupel both with 14. Emma Ewalt was the serving leader for the tournament with 43/45 for a total of 94 percent. Katrina Heupel served at 94 percent and Natalie Heupel at 93 percent for a team serving percentage of 89 for the tournament.
“It was a good day for Greene County volleyball. We did well against some tough competition and showed the progress we have been making in all areas,” said Heisterkamp.
Greene County Rams saw more action on Tuesday against the Perry Bluejays in Perry, and on Thursday against the Nevada Cubs on the Rams home court, both games starting at 6:30 pm.
