Contributing writer
The Goessel Bluebirds volleyball team clinched an undefeated season in the Wheat State League with matches on Tuesday at Wakefield. The Bluebirds were in control.
With the score tied at 3, Goessel went on a 9-1 run leading 12-4. The Bluebirds then coasted to a 25-16 win in the first set. In the second set, Goessel held a 7-6 lead and jumped out to a 15-7 lead and would not be challenged again, finishing the contest 25-9. This win was the last regular season match that counted for Wheat State League standings and the Bluebirds finished 7-0.
At Wakefield, Goessel also played Flint Hills Christian, and the Bluebirds won 25-5 and 25-10. The Bluebirds dominated St. Xavier High School with victories of 25-3 and 25-7.
Canton-Galva tournament
Because of some storm damage earlier this summer, the Canton-Galva Tournament Saturday was at Goessel. The Bluebirds began pool play with a win against Little River.
The first game stayed close for a while with Goessel leading 6-5. With Makayla King serving, the Bluebirds scored twice on aces and an Alicen Meysing block to jump out to a 16-6 lead. Page Hiebert scored several kills on nice sets from Alyssa Booton to move to a 21-10 lead. After several Redskins’ points, Olivia Duerksen hit a winner from the middle and Erin Brubaker tipped for the last point in a Bluebird 25-14 win.
Goessel built a 4-0 lead in the second set. After trading points the Bluebirds jumped out to a 15-8 lead. Then a bevy of errors for Goessel forced a Bluebird time-out as Little River tied the game 17-17. Goessel regained their focus with Gentry Thiesen serving and two blocks by Meysing, a kill by Brubaker and Meysing and errors from the Redskins allowed the Bluebirds to win 25-18.
The Bluebirds rolled against Solomon, jumping to a 12-3 lead and winning by an even larger margin 25-9. In the second set, the final result was similar, a win for the Bluebirds 25-10.
Goessel faced Sunrise Christian Academy in the last match of pool play. Significant swings in scoring kept the game interesting. The Bluebirds worked their way to a 16-9 lead, before the Buffaloes closed the lead to 19-15. Goessel picked up points from a Hiebert shot, an ace, and then a Hiebert poke to win the first set 25-17.
In the second set, Goessel pushed to a 10-3 lead. Shelbi Stultz and Makayla King hustled in the back row to keep balls alive. The Bluebirds had to call time-out to regroup with a slim 12-11 lead. Goessel picked up four straight points to regroup. Hiebert and Duerksen played aggressive at the net and Goessel finished the match with a 25-16 win.
Goessel faced Halstead in the semifinal game. In the first set, the biggest lead was four points as both teams grabbed leads they could not hold. The game was tied at 22 when two Bluebird hits just missed the line and Halstead was able to win 25-22.
Goessel jumped out ahead in the second set and surged to a 20-11 lead. The Dragons would not go away, though, and after two Goessel timeouts the score was again tied at 22. A kill by Hiebert gave the Bluebirds the advantage, but a Goessel serving error tied the score. Another kill by Hiebert and then an error on the Dragons gave the Bluebirds a 25-23 victory.
In the deciding game, after an early Bluebird lead, Halstead took advantage of three Bluebird serving errors and built a 13-7 lead. Goessel would get as close as three points only to see the Dragons gradually build their lead and win 25-17.
In the third-place match, Goessel started strong and Sunrise Christian would get no closer than 10-7. The Bluebirds methodically finished the set 25-15. It was the opposite in the second set, with the Buffaloes going up 11-5. Goessel would try to find ways to score points after a long day. The Bluebirds managed to cut a seven-point deficit to two, but Sunrise was able to finish 25-21.
On the adrenaline of the late rally of the previous game, the Bluebirds jumped out to a 10-4 lead. As the lead declined, the Bluebirds called timeout with the score tied at 11. Hiebert got a kill and then went back to serve with a 16-14 lead. Duerksen and Thiesen combined for a block to give the momentum to the Bluebirds. Sunrise errors allowed Goessel to close the match with a 25-19 win. The Bluebirds finished in third place and now boast a 20-7 record.