Colfax spikers drop matches to Elk Mound and Clear Lake, finish 1-3 in Cameron

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by Marlys Kruger

Sports Correspondent

After a three-set loss a week earlier to the defending Dunn-St. Croix Conference champion Spring Valley, the Colfax volleyball team was hoping to bounce back with a conference win when the Elk Mound Mounders came to town Tuesday, September 24. Elk Mound was also coming off a conference loss after losing to Boyceville a week earlier. This match was pretty much all Elk Mound as they used a powerful offense to sweep the Vikings 25-14, 25-19 and 25-15.

Two days later the Vikings played host again and lost a five set heartbreaker against the Clear Lake Warriors.

Colfax finished off a busy week of play this past Saturday at the Cameron Invitational where it went 1-3.

Colfax has another full slate for the coming week. It played Elmwood-Plum City in Plum City yesterday (Tuesday, October 1) and then returns home tomorrow night (Thursday, October 3) to welcome Glenwood City. The Vikings cap the week with another Saturday invitational, this time at Amery. 

Elk Mound, whose only contest last week was its match at Colfax, host a pair of conference contests this week. Last evening, defending champion Spring Valley was at the Mound while Elmwood-Plum City visits Thursday. 

Colfax vs. Elk Mound

This was the final time the two teams will face off in a conference match. Elk Mound will be leaving the conference to join the Cloverbelt in all sports after this season and any matches played will be non-conference after this year.

Although this match went just three sets, the majority of the points scored by both teams came from strong kill shots with very few coming from errors.

After the first set, a 25-14 Elk Mound win, the scoring evened out with five tie scores in the early going.

Brynn Sikora slammed a pair of kills for Colfax while teammates Sierra Shipman added a kill and Aubrey Rihn blocked a shot. Most of the Viking points were countered by the Mounders Loftyn Awe, Lauren Gabert, Kendra Garnett and Miley Carlton, and after a tip shot by Savannah Nechanicky, it was 9-7 in the Mounders’ favor. They continued to add points as they rattled off seven more for a 16-7 advantage.

A Mounder error halted the streak and Lydia Polkoski put down a kill as did Sikora as the Vikings drew within six points, down 17-11. Awe and Gabert combined for three points on a trio of kills to pull ahead 19-13 and although Colfax scored points on a Polkoski slam and an ace serve by Sikora , the Mounders were at set point 24-16. Colfax pulled together and picked up three points including a Shipman ace, but a Viking serving error allowed the Mounders to finish off the second set.

The third set was knotted at 5-5 before Allie Roder scored on a tip and Garnett slammed a pair of kills to put the Mounders up 8-5. Clara Hydukovich scored points with two shots at the net and followed with a block for the Vikings but once again Awe countered with a pair of kills and Gabert slammed three more for a 17-13 Mounder advantage. They continued to roll, increasing their lead to 22-13 before Polkoski scored on a kill and Sikora sent an ace serve over the net but the Mounders closed out the set and match on a Roder tip, a Garnett service ace and a hitting error by the Vikings.

Rihn led the Vikings in kills with nine with two blocked shots while Sikora tacked on eight kills and Polkoski six. Sikora and Shipman both collected a pair of ace serves and defensively, Sikora and Ruby Kunsman both picked up 10 digs, Jordyn Bowe added nine and Shipman five.

No statistics for Elk Mound were provided.

Colfax vs. Clear Lake

The Vikings appeared to bounce back from the Elk Mound loss as they won the first two sets 25-18, 25-19. But a sweep was not meant to be as the Warriors came back for a 25-20 third set win and going into extra points, won set number four 28-26. The fifth and deciding set could not have been any closer as it went into the extra point mode again before Clear Lake pulled it out 16-14.

Colfax at Cameron Invite

The Lady Vikings finished 1-3 in the Cameron Invitational held Saturday, September 28.

Colfax dropped its first three matches of the invite in straight sets, 0-2, as it lost to host Cameron, Fall Creek and Prairie Farm. The Vikes snapped their six-match losing skid with a tournament-ending sweep of Shell Lake, two sets to none.

Unfortunately, no scores or statistics from the invitational were sent to the Messenger or posted online.