Stanley, DC, BC and Ray advance to Region 9 semis

By Kyle Mayhugh

Williston Herald

NEW TOWN— The Ray Jays' volleyball team's Samantha Heier put up the top individual performance of the opening night of the Class B Region 8 volleyball tournament on Monday night.

Heier opened the first game of the first match of the tournament by serving the Jays to a 20-0 lead over Trenton, including five aces, on the way to a 3-0 victory against Trenton.

Divide County, Burke County and Stanley also advanced to the regional semifinals.

Trenton recovered slightly from its 25-6 defeat in the first game, but could never make the match close, losing the next two games 25-11 and 25-13.

"It wasn't our best game," said Trenton coach Samantha Canerdy. "We just weren't communicating."

AJ Liesener had 12 kills and six assists for the Jays, and Heier finished with five kills, eight assists and five digs.

Siera Zimmerman had eight assists for Trenton, and Londyn Lawrence had seven digs.

Burke County 3,

Watford City 1

Burke County's front-line duo of Breanna Klabo and Jessica Swenson was at it again Monday, combining for 30 kills in the Titans' competitive victory against Watford City.

The Wolves took the first match 25-22, then Burke County bounced back to win the next three 25-20, 25-13, 25-22.

"We played hard," said Burke County coach Merry Fledman. "We gotta have that constant communication."

The Titans tend to roll when their passing gets in sync, setting up their front-row hitters.

Leda Raudales led the way with 38 assists, and Brittney Peterson had 18 digs.

After tying the match at one apiece, Burke County blew out the third game with a nine-point run served by Indiana Castellanos, including two aces, to run the score to 20-7.

Watford City fought back to take a 13-8 lead in the fourth game before Burke County came back to win and seal the match 25-22.

Divide County 3,

Trinity Christian 0

The Trinity Christian Crusaders looked competitive early in the first match against Divide County, but in the end couldn't keep up with the athleticism of the Maroons.

TCS led the first game 7-6 and was tied at 9-9 before losing 25-15, then lost the next two games 25-7 and 25-12.

"You know, they were great out there in the first game," said Trinity Christian coach Beth Zarling. "I'm not sure what happened after that."

Ellie Gillund and Trish Sem reached double-digit kills for the Maroons with 11 and 10, respectively.

Freshman Megan Telehey continued her strong season at libero with 18 digs for Trinity Christian. Easily the smallest player on the court each match, Telehey was a key to Trinity Christian's back row this season.

"Imagine how good she'll be when she's a senior," Zarling said.

Stanley 3,

Grenora-Westby 0

The Stanley Blue Jays overpowered Grenora-Westby in a 3-0 sweep in the final match of the night.

Stanley got progressively better as the match wore on, winning 25-19, 25-17, 25-14.

ReeAnn Mehus had 27 assists for Stanley, and Jori Fladeland had nine kills and four blocks. Alison Carlson had 11 assists for Grenora-Westby.

Ray 25 25 25

Trenton 6 11 13

Trenton stats

Kills - Courtney Moran 3, Alisha Vondall 2; Assists - Siera Zimmerman 8, Aces - Moran 2, Digs - Londyn Lawrence 7, Lexi Johnsrud 3

Ray stats

Kills - AJ Liesener 12, Samantha Heier 5; Assists - Britta Liesener 11, Heier 8, AJ Liesener 6; Blocks - Liesener 3, Chantel Tracey; Digs - Tricia Lisener 6, Kendra Heier 6, Samantha Heier 5.

BC 22 25 25 25

WC 25 29 13 22

BC stats

Kills - Breanna Klabo 16, Jessica Swenson 14, Indiana Castellanas 8; Assists - Leda Raudales 38, Molly Aufforth 3; Digs - Raudales 16, Swenson 12, Tracy Knutson 10, Castellanos 9; Aces - Castellanos 6

DC 25 25 25

TCS 15 7 12

DC stats

Kills - Ellie Gillund 11, Trish Sem 10, Alecia Power 6; Digs - Alecia Power 16, Morgan Renner 9, Sem 9, Gillund 8; Assists - Renner 21, Aces - Kayla Casteel 4, Heather Holm 3, Power 3

TCS stats

Kills - Megan Herr 4, Megan Schilke 2, Whitney Kitzan 2, Corissa Zimmer 1; Digs - Megan Telehey 18, Megan Schilke 9, Herr 7, Kitzan 5, Alice Trottier 5, Katie Harger 2; Aces - Schilke 1.

Stanley 25 25 25

GW 19 17 14

Stanley stats

Kills - Jori Fladeland 9, Kori Locken 7, Jasmin Pappa 5; Assists - ReeAnn Mehus 27; Digs - Locken 14, Pappa 11, Kyle Locken 9; Blocks - Fladeland 4, Pappa 2, Kyle Locken 2; Aces - Kyli Locken 3.

GW stats

Kills - Samantha Olson 7, Jonnu Muller 4, Kylie Ryals 2; Assists - Alison Carlson 11, Samantha Olson 2; Digs - Kylie Ryals 8, Samantha Olson 3; Aces - Carlson 3, Olson 2