Pair of aces lead Ravens from the service line

By Jeff Yoder
Posted 10/1/21

Hillcrest’s three-game home winning streak was snapped by Winfield-Mt. Union on Thursday. The Wolves (15-8) improved to 4-1 in conference play with the 25-19, 25-16, and 25-18 set …

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Pair of aces lead Ravens from the service line

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Hillcrest’s three-game home winning streak was snapped by Winfield-Mt. Union on Thursday. The Wolves (15-8) improved to 4-1 in conference play with the 25-19, 25-16, and 25-18 set wins. 

The Ravens (6-19) were unable to slow the attack of WMU junior Bradie Buffington, who had 10 kills in the three-set sweep. 

It was a matchup between two of the top three serving teams in the SEISC North in terms of efficiency, and both were right around their season averages of 91.9 percent for WMU and 89.5 percent for Hillcrest. 

“Serve receive was our top focus for the season to improve upon, and through working on that in practice, our serving as a group has improved as a result,” Hillcrest coach Brandon Statler explained. 

WMU senior Carlee Sloan is one of the best in the conference from the service line at 185-of-187 with 22 aces this year. She had three of the Wolves’ eight aces on Thursday. 

The Ravens are led by senior Norah Yoder, who is 210-of-217 this season with 22 aces in 25 matches. 

Hillcrest freshman Malia Yoder tied the Ravens’ single-set record for aces with eight in the first set of a senior night sweep of Rivermont Collegiate on Monday. She finished with 12 in the match, which is the Ravens’ second all-time total for a single match. Yoder is at 223-of-247 for the season with 35 aces. 

The Yoders were 24-of-25 on Thursday against WMU. 

“They are our 1-2 punch, and that confidence spreads to the rest of the team,” Statler said. “I do think their focus and desire to lead helps them in the serving department. Any outside distractions can lead to a service error, and those two are very focused on getting Hillcrest to that next level.”

Senior Esther Hughes has 28 aces in 25 matches this year, and freshman Lydia Beachy is 14-of-14 with five aces in limited action this season. 

Hughes led the Ravens with five kills and two blocks on Thursday while Vlada Conea had four kills and 15 digs. Malia Yoder had 15 digs as well. Evelyn Gerber had 13 and Hughes had 12. 

The Ravens are 3-5 in conference games with a road trip to Colubmus coming up on Tuesday, October 5, and a home game with Highland on Thursday, October 7.