The Hillsboro Hawks girls volleyball team were looking to improve to 4-0 in their conference this season Tuesday night against Festus, which would be no easy task. Hillsboro was recently coming off of a three set victory over Windsor last Thursday and were rearing to get back on the court after a four day layoff.
The Hawks would need every ounce of that energy in what would be an ultra-competitive match versus the Tigers. Set one came down to the wire and would see the Hawks fall 22-25. As set two came and went, fans would see the same exact score but in reverse for the Hawks to win 25-22. The third set would take extra effort as the Hawk girls gritted out a 26-24 victory and a 2-1 set lead. The fourth and final set culminated in a 3-1 set victory for the Hawks as they score 25 points to Festus’s 19. Bella Lewis knew how big of a match this was. “It was definitely a big conference game for us as a long time rivalry. It’s always a good time to come out with a victory against them. Even though we started out a little shaky we ended up playing our game and it was awesome to take home the win”.
The Hawks put on a defensive masterclass all night long and the stats reflected just that. Mackenzie Baker was immense near the net leading the team in blocks with one solo block and adding a team high 18 kills. Baker also finished second in other statistical categories including going 28/29 on serve receptions and contributing 20 digs. Baker believes the Hawks can get even better, comment that “our communication could be better but we work to improve that everyday. When we talk we connect on a high level and I feel that the energy that we bring to the matches is a leading component to our success”.
Bella Uzzle also ate up almost every ball that came her way going 30/31 on serve receptions to lead the team and added 24 digs to go along with her stellar performance against the serve. Sophia Marchetti led the team in digs with 25 and also held her own on serve receptions going 14/15 on the night. Lewis got her Hawks team two aces on the match while also coming in second on assists with 20. Evie Roland was the team leader in assists with an impressive 29 on the night while also contributing nine kills and an ace. Roland attributed her high assist rate to her teammates saying, “The hitters being able to finish at the net and the passers getting great digs helped me to get the assists”.
The Hawks will look to continue their perfect conference record Thursday at home against Desoto.
