Rocket Volleyball Drops Opening Match At NSAA State Volleyball Tournament
The Syracuse Rockets made a return to the NSAA State Volleyball Tournament for the first time since 2018
November 5, 2020Updated: November 5, 2020
By News Channel Nebraska
By News Channel Nebraska
Lincoln, NE- The Syracuse Rockets made a return to the NSAA State Volleyball Tournament for the first time since 2018, but were unable to advance past the first round as they dropped a 3 set match to the #5 seeded Columbus Lakeview Vikings. The Rockets earned the #4 seed in the tournament after defeating Sidney in their district final held at Kearney High School on Saturday.
The Rockets got off to a strong start in the first set and got out to a 9-2 lead, but then Lakeview made a furious comeback to take a 16-14 lead and then eventually take the first set 25-16. Lakeview led the whole second set and won 25-16 to take a 2 sets to none lead in the match. In the third set, Lakeview was up 20-12 at one point, but the Rockets were able to make a furious comeback and led the third set 25-24, before eventually falling 30-28 and losing the match 3-0.
Jessie Moss led the Rockets with 11 kills and with her first kill of the night, the Midland College recruit was able to eclipse the 1000 kill mark for her career. Lindsey Moss had 10 kills and 4 blocks, Delainey Cast had 6 kills with one block and Lily Vollertsen had 5 kills for the match. Setter Halle Wilhem had 33 set assists for the Rockets. Lily Rowe led a balanced attack by the Vikings with 13 kills, followed by Mallori Kucera with 12 and Katee Korte with 10. Setter Reese Janssen led the Vikings with 43 set assists. The difference in the match was at the service line where Lakeview held a 7-2 advantage in service aces.
The Rockets finish the season with a 22-2 record in their 13th trip to the state tournament. Columbus Lakeview improves their record to 29-5 for the season and will move on to play the #1 seed Wahoo Warriors in the semi-finals at 2 PM on Friday. First round action continues at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Thrusday with first round matches for Classes C2, D1 and D2. Semifinal and finals matches will be played by all classes on Friday and Saturday.
Story Courtesy of Dave Kasbohm