Fairview Volleyball Gets Conference Wins

The Fairview Warrior volleyball team was on the road for last week's conference matches against Harlem and Glasgow.

Junior Carly Buxbaum said, "Heading into the weekend with two important away games, we needed to be mentally prepared for a long weekend. We needed to make sure everyone was ready and knew their roles. Having a good support team behind us always keeps us going." Although the Warriors took the games in six sets total, both games challenged the Warriors to come from behind and learn from their mistakes.

Fairview vs Harlem

Early in the first set versus Harlem, the Warriors, and Wildcats traded points and errors until Emily Johnson served five in a row, giving the Warriors the lead 7-4. Untouched kills by Abby Berry and Kallee Hopes helped increase that lead to 12-7 and forced the Harlem head coach to call a time-out. The Warrior offense came out strong from the time-out with another kill from Hopes and six serves from Macy Tjelde, advancing the score to 15-8. The Warriors went on the offensive, mixing up attacks, and although the Wildcats were scrappy with their digs, kills from Emily Johnson and Tjelde and serving from Carly Buxbaum helped to seal the win, 25-11.

In set two, the Warriors took the lead early and maintained it with strong offensive and defensive play, 25-15. In the third set, Harlem started out more competitive, initially taking the lead. The Warriors and Wildcats locked in ties 6-6 before Harlem regained the lead 7-9. The teams battled at the net in a long rally, with Johnson blocking three in a row before the Wildcats finally took the point. Johnson fired back with a kill of her own. A tip-kill from Berry tied the score 12-12. Serving from Kambre Kloker and Tjelde helped the Warriors take the lead 17-13, but Harlem answered back, retaking the lead, 18-17. Errors from the Warriors helped keep the score tied at 18, 19, and 21, but Isabelle Fry served three in a row, and setter Kallee Hopes mixed it up at the net, setting both Johnson and Tjelde to finish the set and secure the match, 25-22.

Fairview vs Glasgow

"We knew this weekend's game versus Glasgow was going to be a big one because we were tied for second place in the conference," Angie Hopes, Fairview's head coach, said. "The girls stepped onto the court on Saturday with a strong determination and a will to win. They were focused on what they needed to do, and they started the first game strong. The girls did get a little frazzled in the second game, but they managed to push through to win. The third game didn't start much better. We called a time-out to take a deep breath and refocus. We needed to pass, set, and hit. We needed to remain in control. The girls stepped onto the court with even more determination to win. Watching them play from the sidelines, I could see that a transformation was taking place; growth was happening. Although we were behind, they managed to fight back one point at a time with outstanding defense from the back row by Abby, along with Macy and Emily taking control at the net. I was excited to watch them persevere and grow as a team."

The two road wins improved the Fairview Warrior's conference record to 5-1 and overall record to 8-2. This week, the Warriors travel to Poplar on Thursday, Oct. 5, and the Beach Invitational Tournament on Oct. 7. Fairview's Assistant Coach Tia Hallock, said, "The opportunity to play teams [in Beach] we won't see in regular season will be a great learning experience for the girls. The ability to adapt for each match will be a crucial skill for the Lady Warriors to have as they move forward with their season."