The Fort Calhoun High School volleyball team played competitive matches during its home tournament Saturday, but it couldn't pull out a victory.
The Pioneers (8-11 overall) went 0-for-3 against Class C2 Fremont Bergan, West Point-Beemer and Louisville.
“We played well, but just couldn't keep it consistent all the way though and tripped over ourselves a bit when the games came down to the end,” coach Liz Sevcik said.
FCHS lost its first set of the day to Bergan 25-13, but played within 25-23 in the second. It fell 25-23 again during the first set against the Cadets before a 25-16 second set loss.
Then, against the Lions of Louisville, the Pioneers won the first set — 25-15 — before falling short in the next two. The Lions won the second 25-16 and pulled out a 27-25 win during the third.
Sevcik said Fort Calhoun's defensive specialists — Jordan Foucher, Ella Bouwman and Gracie Lasher — highlighted the Pioneers' overall tourney play.
“Jordan, Ella and Gracie all made some great defensive plays to keep us alive in games,” she said.
FCHS was set to play matches Monday in Syracuse and next competes Thursday during a Yutan triangular.
FCHS drops road match
Before Saturday's home matches, the Pioneers played three sets on the road last Thursday in Ashland.
The Ashland-Greenwood Bluejays won those sets 25-21, 25-14 and 25-17. The win was their 10th, while FCHS dropped its eighth match this season.
Coach Sevcik's team battled back from 19-10 to make the first set competitive, though. It scored four-straight points out of a timeout capped by Emilee Thayer-Mencke's block.
The Pioneers' standout later cut her team's deficit to 23-20 with an ace, too, before Ashland ultimately won the set. The Bluejays earned the second as well, but FCHS secured an early, 10-7 lead during the third on a Taylor Stewart swing.
The Pioneers' advantage evaporated, though, as Ashland finished out the sweep.
FCHS VOLLEYBALL LINE SCORES
Saturday
Louisville 2, Fort Calhoun 1
LHS 15 25 27 — 2
FCHS (8-11) 25 16 25 — 1
West Point-Beemer 2, Fort Calhoun 0
WPB 25 25 — 2
FCHS (8-10) 23 16 — 0
No. 8 Fremont Bergan 2, Fort Calhoun 0
BERGAN 25 25 — 2
FCHS (8-9) 13 23 — 0
Thursday
Ashland-Greenwood 3, Fort Calhoun 0
FCHS (8-8) 21 14 17 — 0
AG (10-6) 25 25 25 — 3
