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Tigers tamed: DCS falls to Meridian 3-1
LINCOLN, Neb. -- A great start ended on a sour note for Dundy County-Stratton.
The 6-seed Tigers won the opening set of their Class D1 state volleyball match, but ultimately fell to 3-seed Meridian 19-25, 25-11, 25-12, 25-15 at Lincoln East High School on Thursday afternoon.
"It was a total team effort today," DCS head coach Bill Wilson said about his team's performance. "They left it on the floor and gave it all they got. The other team was just better."
Going into the state tournament, Meridian was the newly-minted no. 1 team in Class D1, according to the Omaha World-Herald, after beating previously top-ranked Johnson-Brock in the district finals.
However, the Tigers showed no fear in the opening set.
DCS opened with two kills by Aubrey and Grace Frederick to take an early 2-0 lead. The Tigers pushed their advantage to 13-9 with an Emily Jones kill before Meridian called its first timeout.
The Tigers didn't lose focus, as they built their lead to 23-17. Meridian committed a lifting violation to give DCS a 25-19 win in the opening set.
"We were the aggressor and we served better than them," Wilson said of the first set.
For Mustangs head coach Bob VanWesten, his girls' opening set demeanor was different from what he had seen most of the season.
"They didn't look like they were having any fun out there," he noted about his team. "I don't know if it was the state tournament or what. They gotta play with smiles. They fly around a lot better when they do."
Following the first set, VanWesten's message wasn't complicated.
"We were flat, so we just talked about playing like we've been playing and having fun."
The pep talk worked in a big way.
Meridian opened the second set looking like state title contenders, as the Mustangs built a 10-0 lead before DCS got on the board.
Of the 10 Mustang points, nine came off of Erin Johnson assists. She ended the match with a match-high 42.
"Once our passing is there for our setter, she does a great job of getting the ball to our hitters," VanWesten noted. "I think we finally started getting it by their block."
The Mustangs had runs of 10-0, 6-0 and 5-0 throughout the set and built their lead to as big as 23-9. A Meridian termination ended the frame 25-11 to tie the match at 1-1.
"That first set, they (DCS) were getting touches and blocks almost every time," VanWesten mentioned. "Riley Pieper got some (hits) through them, got some down, and then it seemed like the other hitters started going as well."
Wilson said the opening set made his team more relaxed, but it also led to less intensity.
"We won that first one and kinda relaxed," he admitted. "They started 10-0 and we never recovered. They (Meridian) did a better job of passing and hitting."
Set 3 didn't fare any better for DCS, as the Mustangs opened with a 6-0 advantage. Again, Meridian had extensive runs to help built its advantage to 23-10 before Pieper ended the set with a kill.
"Once we got rolling you could kinda tell their confidence went down," VanWesten said. "We just kept it up from there."
By the time the fourth set started, momentum was all on Meridian's side.
The Tigers started well, grabbing a 5-1 lead before the Mustangs went on a 5-0 run.
Meridian went on back-to-back 4-0 runs to make it 20-12, then clinched the win when an Aubrey Frederick attack went into the net.
Pieper was a boon for Meridian, as the outside hitter notched 25 kills, four blocks and 21 digs. Halle Pribyl notched nine terminations and four blocks, while Johnson added her 42 helpers.
With the win, Meridian (25-5) advanced to play Elgin/Elgin Pope John in the D1 semifinals Friday morning.
For DCS, Aubrey Frederick led the way with 11 kills, eight digs and three blocks, while Grace Frederick found 10 terminations and three blocks.
Emily Jones notched 18 assists and seven digs, while Allie Behlke added nine assists and 12 digs. Dawson Latta had a team-high 16 digs.
Thursday's result marked the end of Aubrey Frederick's and Jones' volleyball careers for DCS. Wilson praised his senior starters and the feats they accomplished.
"They both had tremendous careers," he acknowledged. "That senior class has more state tournament experience between basketball and volleyball than any class we've had graduate. It's a testament to those girls and the underclassmen we've got there now."
DCS ended its season at 24-8.
Box Score
| Meridian (25-5) | 19 | 25 | 25 | 25 | - | 3 |
| DCS (24-8) | 25 | 11 | 12 | 15 | - | 1 |
Player stats
Kills -- DCS: A. Frederick, 11; G. Frederick, 10; Krutsinger, 4; Porter, 3; Jones, 1. MHS: Pieper, 25; Pribyl, 9; Schafer, 6; Klipp, 4; DeLord, 2.
Assists -- DCS: Jones, 18; Behlke, 9; A. Frederick, 2. MHS: Johnson, 42; Pieper, 1.
Blocks -- DCS: A Frederick, 3; G. Frederick, 3; Behlke, 1; Jones, 1; Porter, 1. MHS: Pieper, 4; Pribyl, 4; DeLord, 3; Schafer 2.
Digs -- DCS: Latta, 16; G. Frederick, 15; Behlke, 12; A. Frederick, 8; Jones, 7; Porter, 5; Krutsinger, 2. MHS: Klipp, 26; Pribyl, 26; Pierper, 21; Sobotka, 20; Johnson, 16; Miller, 7; Schafer, 6; DeLord, 1.
Ace serves -- DCS: G. Frederick, 1; Jones, 1; Porter, 1. MHS: Johnson, 1; Klipp, 1; Pribyl, 1; Sobotka 1.