KEOTA 

For Hillcrest volleyball, you couldn’t ask for a better start to a season.

Going 3-0 on the night, the Ravens went the distance, conquering English Valleys, Highland, and then toppling Lone Tree in the championship match to earn first place hardware at the Keota Invitational on Aug. 26. 

Seeing how impressive Hillcrest played at Keota (only dropping one set all night long), you wouldn’t think this was a group that had some concerns going into the tournament.  

“There’s been a little bit of chaos. We had our first practice as a team on Friday, where we had our setter and our full lineup. So, there’s been a lot of varied rotations,” Hillcrest coach Brandon Statler said about the choices he made regarding the roster going into the Keota tourney. 

“On Wednesday I literally made a switch to everything back to the way we finished last year. Just trying to find that rhythm and we came in tonight and had the rhythm so I couldn’t be more pleased.”

  The Ravens did not miss a beat, taking down English Valleys in straight sets (21-12, 21-18) in their first contest of the season. 

Their next match was against familiar foe Highland and the Huskies won the first set (18-21) but Hillcrest was able to regroup and take the next two sets to win the match (21-10, 15-8). 

“That first set against Highland was very tough because we underperformed largely. And then we came back in and overperformed,” coach Statler said about the match against Highland. 

“You never want to say overperform because I expect the best every time, but on the curve, we were as good in the second set as we were, a little bit out of sorts in the first set. So, to see that rebound, that’s what I’ve been praying for.” 

This win led them to the championship match and with first place on the line, the Ravens dispatched the Lady Lions in matching straight sets (21-10, 21-10). 

Entering her senior year, Malia Yoder was once again making game changing plays for Hillcrest and was one of the leading forces behind their wins at Keota. 

“Malia is the glue. She leads by her hustle. She leads by her effort. She leads by her skill, and her leadership,” coach Statler said about the senior captain. “So, to see her pull us through tough situations is going to be huge.” 

Another driving force for Hillcrest was junior Niva Helmuth, who was able to find her rhythm on offense and defense despite missing some recent practices. 

“Niva was kind of the wild card coming into the nights where she’s been a streaky hitter over the last couple of years, and she’s been gone for ten days of practice,” coach Statler said. “She had an amazing night. She was in rhythm. She was making great choices. She was blocking. That was the difference in going 3-0 and dropping a match or two.” 

Hoping to continue to stack up wins, next up for Hillcrest (3-0) is a early season road rematch against Highland (1-2) on Sept. 5. 

Lone Tree results 

It was a runner-up finish for the Lady Lions at the Keota Invitational, as they went 2-1 overall, defeating Cedar Valley Christian and Keota, but falling to Hillcrest in the championship match. 

In the match against CVC, Lone Tree won the first set in commanding fashion (21-9) but dropped a more competitive second set (17-21). Playing stiff defense, the Lady Lions closed out CVC with a convincing third set win (15-4).

Lone Tree’s match against Keota also needed three sets to decide a victor. 

In the final set Lone Tree built up a 12-6 lead but the Eagles did not go down quietly, rallying to tie the score at 12-12. The host school was on the verge of a comeback, but the Lady Lions persevered and grabbed a hard-earned victory, 16-14. 

Hayden Yoder, a Lone Tree senior, ended the match against Keota with a team high 30 assists. Fellow senior Alex Dautremont led the Lady Lions in kills (4) and digs (6). 

The championship match saw Lone Tree face off against fellow conference member Hillcrest. It was a sweeping victory for Hillcrest (21-10, 21-10) as Lone Tree was not able to find its rhythm while facing down double-digit deficits. 

Looking to continue their fine start to the season, next up for Lone Tree (2-1) is a road match against the Columbus Wildcats (0-2) on Sept. 5

Highland results 

Starting their new season with tournament play, the Huskies went 1-2 at the Keota Invitational, taking down the English Valleys Bears but falling to Hillcrest and Keota. 

Highland took care of the Bears in three (21-18, 9-21, 15-12) and then moved on to face Hillcrest where they won a close first set (21-18). 

The second set saw the Ravens build up a double-digit lead and Highland was not able to close the gap (10-21). While the third set was close, Highland couldn’t break through (8-15) with Hillcrest going on some impressive serving steaks.  

Their last match of the Invitational was against the hosting Eagles. In front of their home crowd, Keota defeated the Huskies in straight sets (21-16, 21-10). With the loss Highland ultimately placed fourth overall. 

Up next for Highland (1-2) is a rematch against Hillcrest (3-0) at home on Sept. 5.