V-Hawks Close out Weekend Tournament on a High Note

DAVENPORT, Iowa -- The V-Hawks continued their weekend competition at the Saint Ambrose Tournament with a ranked matchup on Friday followed by two more matches on Saturday. The V-Hawks fell to the #9 ranked McPherson in straight sets. Though the team got swept, they played a tight match. Against Saint Mary, the V-Hawks won 3-1, and against Tabor the team also won 3-1. 

Against McPherson, Jada Mitchell led the team with seven kills and three blocks. Maddie Connor headed up the assists category with 13, adding on three aces to her stat line. Resse Germann led the team defensively with 10 kills. 

In their competition against Saint Mary, Jada Mitchell led the efforts for the V-Hawks with 10 kills on a 0.350 hitting percentage. Mitchell also added an impressive eight blocks, making for 2 blocks/set. Maddie Connor was the leader in assists for the match, earning 20, while Resse Germann led the way with 18 digs. Connor also added an impressive five aces. 

In the match against Tabor, Izzy Jahr led the team with 12 kills, but Aubrey Dorn brought the heat with hitting percentage. In the sophomore's first career start, Dorn had 10 kills on 13 swings with no errors, earning an impressive 0.769 hitting percentage. Jada Mitchell and Sadie Treptow led on the blocking side, earning six each. Jaden Polovina was the leader in assists for the game with an impressive 24 assists and two aces. 24 assists is a new season high for the newcomer. Resse Germann put up 26 digs in the team's effort, coming just shy of her 29-dig season high. 

HOW IT HAPPENED (vs #9 McPherson)

• The V-Hawks first points came from back-to-back kills by Hailee Halverson, but McPherson responded with a 5-0 run before Viterbo took a timeout. Out of the timeout, the V-Hawks responded with a 7-0 run, marked by two aces from Resse Germann. The teams went back and forth for a while until Viterbo found themselves ahead 18-15. McPherson put up a 3-0 run to tie the match, but a Maddie Connor and Sadie Treptow block returned the lead to the V-Hawks. Viterbo found themselves down just a few points later at 22-23, but a Casey Frankland ace tied the score at 23-23, and a Jalen Hinzman kill took the lead. McPherson answered, but the V-Hawks took the lead again at 26-25 with an ace from Mia Quist. McPherson took the last three points to win the set 28-26.
• Jada Mitchell earned the first kill for the match for the V-Hawks in set two, but a long run by McPherson put Viterbo down early. The V-Hawks continued fighting into the middle of the set with two kills by Mitchell and an ace from Maddie Connor. Some more small runs by McPherson put the V-Hawks down 21-14. MaKena Ihle attempted to bring some momentum, earning a kill at 21-15, but the McPherson lead was too large. Viterbo fell in set two 25-18. 
• Viterbo went down 3-0 to open the third set, but they fought back with two aces from Maddie Connor in a row. McPherson responded with a series of small runs, and the V-Hawks found themselves down at 14-10. Viterbo was able to bring the score back within two at 20-18, but couldn't hold down McPherson. A last minute kill by Hailee Halverson kept the V-Hawks alive, but McPherson took the third set, and the match, 25-21. 

HOW IT HAPPENED (vs Saint Mary)

• Jada Mitchell and Hailee Halverson had the first two points of the match for the V-Hawks, assisted by Jaden Polovina and Maddie Connor. The set went back and forth early on until Saint Mary went on a 6-0 run to take a 13-7 lead. A kill by MaKena Ihle and an ace by Casey Frankland brought the score back up for the V-Hawks, and they continued with a 4-0 run. Saint Mary fought back, taking an 18-14 lead. A kill by Hailee Halverson followed by two Saint Mary errors led to Viterbo only being down by one point. The V-Hawks never were able to take the lead again, remaining down by one point until Saint Mary went on a 3-0 run at the end, defeating the V-Hawks 25-21 in the first set. 
• The V-Hawks responded early in the second set, opening with a 5-0 run and two aces from Maddie Connor. The V-Hawks held a steady lead through the beginning of the match until Saint Mary was able to tie it at 14-14. Back-to-back kills by Jada Mitchell returned the lead to Viterbo. A series of ties ensued after the V-Hawks' slight lead, but the V-Hawks were able to turn it around with an ace by Makenna Rettler. The V-Hawks won set two 25-22. 
• MaKena Ihle opened set three for the V-Hawks on a kill assisted by Resse Germann. Saint Mary captured the lead at 7-5, but a string of points by the V-Hawks put them up 9-8. The V-Hawks continued with their series of small runs, taking a three point lead late into the set at 21-18 with a kill from Hailee Halverson. Saint Mary took a timeout, but the V-Hawks kept the pressure on, finishing set three with a kill from Izzy Jahr to win the set 25-22. 
• Saint Mary scored the first point of set four, but Jada Mitchell answered with a kill. Another kill by Sadie Treptow and an error by Saint Mary put the V-Hawks up one point. The V-Hawks exploded in the middle of the set, going on a 10-2 run, with three aces by Maddie Connor, three kills by Jada Mitchell, and a kill by Hailee Halverson. The V-Hawks extended their lead to ten points with errors from Saint Mary. Kills by Sadie Treptow and Casey Frankland brought the V-Hawks to match point. Aubrey Dorn scored the final point for the V-Hawks, finishing with a 25-15 victory. 

HOW IT HAPPENED (vs Tabor)

• The V-Hawks opened set one on a 6-0 run. The team held an extended their lead to seven points with kills from Aubrey Dorn, Izzy Jahr, MaKena Ihle, and Hailee Halverson at 12-5. Tabor responded with a 5-0 run, but when the V-Hawks got the ball back, they went on a 10-3 run, with kills by Sadie Treptow and Jada Mitchell as well as an ace from Hailee Halverson. Tabor attempted a late-game comeback with a 4-0 run, but the V-Hawks sealed the fourth set with a kill by Izzy Jahr. 
• The V-Hawks continued their strong performance into set two, going on a 13-4 run to open the set. During their run, Izzy Jahr collected three kills, and Aubrey Dorn collected two. The V-Hawks continued their defiance with a 6-1 run to bring their lead to 6-1. The V-Hawks closed set two with two kills by Casey Frankland and a kill by Aubrey Dorn. Viterbo won set two 25-12. 
• In set three, Viterbo went up early 4-1 with two kills from Izzy Jahr. Tabor responded with a 3-0 run, but Viterbo fought back to bring the score up to 10-6 with an ace by Resse Germann. The V-Hawks went up by as much as six points in the middle of the set, earning a 17-11 lead. Tabor began fighting back with a 6-1 run. The V-Hawks still held a two point lead. Tabor was able to tie the match at 22-22, but the V-Hawks continued scoring and keeping a one point lead. Tabor flipped the lead in extra points at 27-26, and the V-Hawks fell in set three 28-26. 
• Viterbo began set four with an ace from Maddie Connor. Set four went back and for most of the early set. The score tied at 9-9, 10-10, 11-11, 12-12, 13-13, and 14-14. Viterbo them took a hold of the set, going on a 5-1 scoring run, and securing a four point lead on a Jaden Polovina ace. Tabor responded, taking a one point lead at 20-19. The V-Hawks fought back at the end, scoring the final points of the game, and winning the set, and the match, 25-21. 

WEEKEND LEADERS (across all four matches)

• Kills - Izzy Jahr (35)
• Assists - Maddie Connor (71)
• Blocks - Jada Mitchell (25)
• Digs - Resse Germann (79)
• Aces - Maddie Connor (12)

UP NEXT

The V-Hawks will return to conference play this week on Wednesday, September 17. They will travel to Elgin, Ill. to face off against Judson at 6 pm.