Warner decided to employ a quick attack Tuesday night, and Aberdeen Roncalli wasn’t able to slow down the Monarchs.
Warner put away Roncalli 25-14, 25-20, and 25-16 in non-conference volleyball action at Roncalli Gym.
The Cavaliers knew who they were taking on when the Class B fourth-rated Monarchs came to town.
“Warner is always a very powerhouse team. We knew exactly what we were gonna get ourselves into,” said Cavaliers coach Leesa Ware. “I mean obviously, they are ranked what they are ranked because they are just overall a very good defensive team, and we just didn’t have any answers for them tonight.”
The Monarchs entered the match coming off a 1-3 weekend at the Pentagon Classic down in Sioux Falls and they knew they needed to get back on track.
“We had a tough tournament over the weekend, and we tried to work on like quicker attacking and speeding up our offense,” said Warner coach Kari Jung. “I thought the girls really responded well and did a great job.”
It took a little bit for the Monarchs to warm up as Roncalli jumped out to an early 7-3 lead. Gabby Thomas was back on the court for the Cavaliers and made an impact right away with a kill and a block within those first seven points. The sophomore had some nerves getting back on the court for the Cavaliers.
“I actually was really, really excited to be back, but it was kind of scary because my first practice back with them was Monday and it was just kind of weird to get back, but I was really excited,” said Thomas. “It’s definitely more fun off the bench and just being able to support one another. It’s a lot of fun just being able to surround yourself with good people.”
Warner was able to take the lead shortly after with a seven-point scoring run followed by a four- point run compared to just point for the Cavaliers during that time.
“They were (able to go on runs), yes. And you know, they’re just such a good even serving team, offensively, defensively,” said Ware. “We just couldn’t find the holes tonight.”
The Warner offense was able to obtain success thanks to the Monarchs’ stingy defense. Players were all over the floor diving for balls and extending plays.
“It’s really fun to see that out of the players,” Jung said. “And then when the long rallies finish with it going your way, then that’s super fun.”
The Monarch that had the most success offensively was senior MaKenna Leidholt who had 17 kills on the night. She kickstarted the second set, scoring three of the first four points.
“I mean really, it’s our amazing passers and our amazing setters. They know when to find us, we know when to run our quicks and when to run our outsides,” said Leidholt. “But really, it’s our amazing passers, those digs, and our amazing setters.”
With a court full of opposing players who could kill the ball, the Cavaliers knew they needed to slow down the attack. The Cavaliers played well on defense, both at the net and in the back.
“They were getting some touches and they were slowing down the ball. They were getting some good things for us,” said Ware. “And our back row, I could not be more proud of them. I thought they played awesome.”
Thomas led the way with one solo block and four assisted as she focused on making an impact on defense.
“I was kind of just focusing on my defense. Obviously, my offense was not there tonight but that’s OK,” Thomas said. “But yeah, I just had to focus on defense, because they’re really quick hitters and they just know where to hit the ball and where to be at all times.”
At the end of the second set, Roncalli was able to get within 20-19 on a kill from Karsyn Davis. Jung called a timeout, and the Monarchs went on to close out the set giving up just one more point. Leidholt contributed to the three unanswered points in that run, killing one ball and blocking two in a row.
“There is a couple points where we kind of get in our heads and they kind of go on their runs, too,” Leidholt said. “So, we just come in the huddle, we’re like ‘OK guys, we got this. Let’s go right now.’”
Even with those two blocks, MaKenna wasn’t the top Leidholt in the block category as her younger sister, Miah, ended with five assisted blocks. In addition to MaKenna and Miah, their cousin Courtney Leidholt led the way serving going 12-13 with 2 aces. With three Leidholts on the team, it makes for a solid team chemistry.
“It’s really a fantastic feeling. I really wish everyone got to play with their family,” MaKenna said. “I mean there’s a couple of fights on there, but I mean our connection is really good when we’re in together.”
Warner closed out set three 25-16, producing its 16th win of the season.
The Monarchs will travel to take on a 13-3 Herreid-Selby Area team on Thursday, while the Cavaliers will hit the road to take on Class A fourth-rated and unbeaten Clark-Willow Lake. Serving: Warner 69-74 5 aces (Courtney Leidholt 12-13 2 aces, Jaycee Jung 10-11 1 ace, Miah Leidholt 14-17 1 ace); Aberdeen Roncalli (Kenzie Basham 1 ace).
Hitting: Warner 101-115 42 kills (MaKenna Leidholt 37-43 17 kills, Jung 21-22 7 kills, C. Leidholt 29-32 6 kills); Aberdeen Roncalli (Jillian Ellwein 8 kills, Karsyn Davis 8 kills, Rylee Voeller 6 kills, Gabby Thomas 4 kills).
Setting: Warner 134-136 40 assists (Tatum Hanson 56-57 19 assists, Reagan Wood 49-50 15 assists); Aberdeen Roncalli (Elyana Roach 22 assists, Ava Danielson 3 assists).
Digs: Warner 63 (Keira Steger 14, Jung 14, Hanson 11); Aberdeen Roncalli (Cambry Feikert 22, Voeller 16, Ellwein 9).
Blocks: Warner 16 assisted (Mi. Leidholt 5 assisted, Lilly Meehan 5 assisted); Aberdeen Roncalli (Thomas 1 solo 4 assisted, Davis 3 assisted, Voeller 1 assisted).
Records: Warner 16-5; Aberdeen Roncalli 7-4.
