Lone Tree dropped all six sets in the tournament, but showed its potential at times. The Lady Lions opened the tournament against the eventual champions, Tri-County, and tied the first set at 7-7 with an ace from Avery Morarie. Lone Tree got within a point at 11-10 before the Trojans pulled away for the 25-14 win. The second set was even more competitive. Lone Tree held a 13-12 lead and trailed just 18-16 late before Tri-County went on a late run to finish the game with a 25-19 victory. 

The Lady Lions have some players getting their first varsity experience, replacing some talented players who have graduated. Lone Tree coach Lora Sieverding said that her team was still trying to find the right lineups and rotations, which put players in some positions where they hadn’t had a lot of experience. At one point, the Lady Lions had one senior on the court with five sophomores. 

“It was messy at times but mostly we were encouraged by what we saw on the court,” Sieverding said. “This team really has positive camaraderie with a strong desire to compete at a top level. Their work ethic and drive to get better has been fantastic. Of course, we have things to work on, but I can confidently say, the team we saw tonight will not be the team we see next week, they are consistently improving, finding their strides, and building confidence.”

Lone Tree also dropped two sets to tournament host Keota in pool play and fell 25-15, 25-20 to Hillcrest in the fifth-place match.  

Sieverding said that Lone Tree will be working on its serving to prepare for the first conference game of the season, a home contest with Louisa-Muscatine on September 1, but there were some positive things to build on.  

“I thought our returning athletes did a good job of holding things together when it did get messy on the court,” Sieverding said. “Seniors Riley Krueger and Ella Buser ran the offense well and Hogan Eden, a junior, really stepped up her defensive game by taking on the libero job in the second set of the first match.”

Senior Emma Slaughter isn’t on the court as much as some of the other Lone Tree players, but she still has an impact on the team with her energy and leadership from the bench. 

 “In my nine years of coaching she is the only one who’s positivity and voice really resonates with the team,” Sieverding said. “She deserves a lot of credit because it is probably the most difficult role to have on a team, but she embraces it and brings her own style to the position.”

Along with the potential of the team’s inexperienced players, the attitude and atmosphere at practices have the coaching staff excited for the season. 

“The fact this team is so coachable and young is probably what is most exciting,” Sieverding said. “They are working very hard and if they continue to do so, we are going to have some surprising and fun wins this season. 

“We have some height on our team which is going to prove for some really exciting play at the net in blocking and attacking both. Right now it is just a matter of getting a little stronger, timing and putting things together to start working as one cohesive unit.”