Playing in just their third home match in more than five weeks, the Knights of Aberdeen Christian looked right at home Thursday night.
The Knights swept past James Valley Christian 25-12, 25-16, 25-13 in non-conference volleyball action at the Christian School Gym.
While JVC came into the match with just four wins this season, the Knights were not about to underestimate their opponent.
Christian coach Sally Stoebner said a key was for her players to be aggressive and not play tentative.
“I think for them to be able to come out here and play three, and not be scared of errors,” said Stoebner.
The Knights got off to a hot start from the get-go, producing a 14-point run in the opening set, taking advantage of numerous James Valley Christian mistakes.
That 14-point surge was led by Jolie Fogarty, who was at the service line during the pivotal scoring run.
“My kids are probably so bored of serving,” Stoebner said, “but I think they realize how important it is now.”
Asked about the team’s communication and energy, Stoebner responded “It was huge, especially having eighth graders on the court. … And I think the seniors, the leaders, stepped up just to help them out, be encouraging, helping them with where they’re supposed to be.”
Ari Johnson was once again a force at the net for the Knights, finishing with 13 kills, including three straight in the opening set to help set the tone for the match.
“It definitely feels really good, especially after that loss with Northwestern (on Tuesday),” Johnson said. “It feels good to kind of have a little bit of a confidence boost for sure.”
The Knights were able to get the 6-foot Johnson more involved in the offense against JVC, as opposed to that setback to second-rated Northwestern.
“Well going off of Tuesday’s game, we were not able to set our middle enough at all,” Stoebner said. “And with Ari Johnson in the middle, we have to get it going.”
Both teams were scoring back and forth in set two until Aberdeen Christian scored six straight points, ultimately taking control and closing out the set.
“I definitely thought my hitting was pretty good,” said Johnson, who had six kills in the second set. “I got a lot of touches on the block, so it was good.”
The Knights did have a few service errors in set two, but were able to recover quickly and to keep their momentum going.
“We’re missing way too many serves,” Stoebner said. “We were giving them all of their points.”
The hosts went on another six-point surge in the final set to finish off the sweep.
Aberdeen Christian collected seven more aces in the final set. Fogarty finished five total aces on the night to lead the squad, while Sawyer Schwan added three and Jacie Fogarty contributed a pair.
Schwan racked up 35 set assists.
Johnson credited her teammates following the victory.
“Definitely just getting good passes and sets for sure,” Johnson said.
Payton Skarin topped the Christian with 10 digs.
The Knights, 9-9 on the season, have a road match against Florence-Henry on Monday.
“We’re pretty confident,” Johnson said. “We’re just going to keep working hard at practice and hopefully get the win.”
Serving: Aberdeen Christian (Jolie Fogarty 5 aces, Sawyer Schwan 3 aces, Jacie Fogarty 2 aces).
Hitting: Aberdeen Christian (Ari Johnson 13 kills, Sophie Glynn 7 kills, Reagan Jett 6 kills).
Setting: Aberdeen Christian (Schwan 35 assists).
Digs: Aberdeen Christian (Payton Skarin 10, Ali Isakson 9, Sophia Eichler 6).
Records: James Valley Christian 4-12; Aberdeen Christian 9-8.
