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HULL — Stacked competition limited the amount of success the Iowa Prep Illustrated’s Class 3A fifth-ranked Cherokee volleyball team was to experience at the Kooima-Kooima-Varilek Tournament hosted by third-ranked Western Christian.
The Braves won their first two matches in the tournament and dropped the final two, finishing with a 2-2 match record. That brings their season record in matches overall to 22-4.
Cherokee rolled in their first match, winning 21-19, 21-6 over MOC/FV. It marked the third victory this season against the Dutch with wins at the Dutch Invitational on September 3, and on September 21 at the Cherokee Invitational. It extends the Braves win streak against the Dutch to five matches.
The Wolfswinkel duo (Addy and Laney) got it done offensively, accounting for 17 of the team’s 23 kills. Laney Wolfswinkel led the way with nine kills and a .438 efficiency. Younger sister Addy Wolfswinkel amassed eight kills and finished with a statement like .545 kill efficiency. Asa team, Cherokee wound up with a .298 kill efficiency and a plus +4 (23-19) edge in kill margin. MOC/FV finished with a .103 efficiency.
The Dutch’s Addy Leusink posted a match-best 15 digs and 10-for-10 effort in serving. MOC?FV finished 41-for-44 with five aces. Camryn Brightwell accounted for all five aces on 11-for-11 serving.
Cherokee served slightly better at 95.2 percent, finishing 40-for-42 with five aces. Laney Wolfswinkel’s flawless 15-for-15 effort brought her three aces. Macy Gravenish had a perfect effort of 9-for-9 with a pair of aces to her credit.
The loss drops the MOC/FV match record to 13-10. The Braves improve to 21-2 overall.
BATTLE AGAINST RANKED BLACK RAIDERS
The second match of the day on paper was going to be quite a challenge for the fifth-ranked Braves. Cherokee was meeting ninth-ranked in Class 5A Sioux City East. Cherokee was looking to continue bragging rights as they defeated the Black Raiders earlier this season 2-0 at the Cherokee Tournament held September 21.
Each of the two sets in the match was decided by fewer than three points. Cherokee prevailed 21-18, 22-20 over Sioux City East, who falls to 15-12 on the season.
It was an effective errors by Cherokee in kills and serving once more against the Black Raiders. The Braves finished a plus +2 (22-20) in kill margin. Cherokee finished with a .250 kill efficiency to East’s efficiency of .071, which saw them with having registered 15 errors.
Doeden stepped to the front of the line in kills, finishing tied with East’s Hollie Peterson for most kills in the match with seven. The Braves Keylee Gregg and East’s Jaylee Jackson each finished with six kills for their respective team.
Jackson finished with a match-high seven digs individually for the Black Raiders.
Both teams experienced success serving in the match. East finished 36-for-38 (94.7%) with three aces, two of those belonging to Peterson. Cherokee wound up serving 95.3 percent (41-for-43) with three aces. Addy Wolfswinkel and Elise Anderson each served a perfect 9-for-9. Anderson added two aces. Ava Bouchard was 7-for-7 serving, and Gregg accounted for the Braves remaining ace.
Cherokee has won three of the last for head-to-head matchup’s with East. The Black Raiders still lead in the all-time win column over Cherokee 15-6, dating back to the Bound Era taking effect.
RECORD IS DECEIVING
Sergeant Bluff-Luton was the third challenge for Cherokee. Although the Warriors fashion only a 16-12 record, at times they look like a state tournament contender.
It was a match that went three sets. Cherokee dropped the opening set 21-18, before coming back in the second set for the 21-13 win. In the third set Sergeant Bluff-Luton pinned the loss on Cherokee 15-8.
It was the third meeting this season between the two schools. Cherokee picked up 2-0 wins in those meeting held August 31 at the Unity Christian Tournament, and September 3 at the MOC/FV tournament. Cherokee had a six match win streak that dated back to August 30, 2022 against Sergeant Bluff-Luton snapped.
The Warriors’ Bailey Ball finished with 21 assists, more than the entire Cherokee team combined. The Braves finished with 19 assists. Cherokee was also a minus -5 in kill margin (27-22). Sergeant Bluff-Luton’s hitter Bre Van Den Top dominated the Braves at the net with a match-best 13 kills and .706 kill efficiency. The best effort by a Brave was Laney Wolfswinkel with nine kills.
It was another solid effort for Cherokee at the service line. The Braves were 42-for-44 (95.5%) with five aces. Anderson finished 11-for-11, and Laney Wolfswinkel was 7-for-7.
NEMESISES MEET
It was another battle against a ranked opponent for the Braves in their final match of the tournament. Host Western Christian an old foe of the Braves from the Lakes Conference is third-ranked.
Cherokee dropped the matchup with the Wolfpack 2-1 (18-25, 25-21, 12-15). It marks the first time this season that a coached Tara Lugar team has lost back-to-back matches. The Western Christian victory avenges last season’s win by the Braves on September 10 (3-2). It was a milestone in the fact that its the Braves lone win against the Wolfpack in 20 meetings since 2007.
Western Christian posted match-best efforts across the board — assists, kills, and digs. Maggie Van Schepen had 27 assists. Scarlett Winterfeld had 13 kills to go with a .231 kill efficiency, and Sydney Feenstra registered 17 digs for the Wolfpack.
Cherokee’s strength in the tournament was definitely its serving. Against the Wolfpack, Cherokee finished 48-for-50 with four aces. Individually, Laney Wolfswinkel was 16-for-16 with an ace to her credit. Addy Wolfswinkel added a 9-for-9 with an ace.
Cherokee (22-4) turned right around and faced Western Christian on Oct. 15 (Tuesday) in Hull.
Cherokee 21 – 21
MOC/FV 19 – 6
Cherokee Record: 21-2 | MOC/FV Record: 13-10
Cherokee Statistics
Assists (21 ) — Elise Anderson 13, Addy Wolfswinkel 6, Keylee Gregg 2.
Kills (23 | Kill Eff: .298) — Laney Wolfswinkel 9 (.438), A. Wolfswinkel 6, Gregg 4, Macy Gravenish 1, Deidra Doeden 1.
Digs (24) — L. Wolfswinkel 8, Gregg 6, A. Wolfswinkel 3, Anderson 3, Gravenish 2, Doeden 1, Ava Bouchard 1.
Blocks (5.0) — Doeden 3.5 (2 S, 3A), L. Wolfswinkel .50 (1 A), Gregg .50 (1 A), A. Wolfswinkel .50 (1 A).
Serving (Mininum 7 attempts): (40-42 95.2% 5 ace) — L. Wolfswinkel 15-15-3 (100%), Gravenish 9-9-2 (100%).
Cherokee 21 – 22
Sioux City East 18 – 20
Cherokee Record: 22-2 | Sioux City East Record: 15-12
Cherokee Statistics
Assists (17) — Elise Anderson 9, Addy Wolfswinkel 7, Macy Gravenish 1.
Kills (22 | Kill Eff: .250) — Deidra Doeden 7, Keylee Gregg 6, Laney Wolfswinkel 4, A. Wolfswinkel 3, Gravenish 1, Kadyn Volkert 1.
Digs (26) — E. Anderson 5, L. Wolfswinkel 5, Gravenish 5, Gregg 4, A. Wolfswinkel 4, Volkert 3.
Blocks (3.0) — A. Wolfswinkel 2.0 (2 S), Gravenish .50 (1 A), Volkert .50 (1 A).
Serving (Mininum 7 attempts): (41-43 95.3% 3 ace) — A. Wolfswinkel 9-9 (100%), Anderson 9-9-2 (100%), Ava Bounchard 7-7 (100%), Gregg 6-7-1 (85.7%), L. Wolfswinkel 6-7 (85.7%).
Cherokee 18 – 21 – 8
Sergeant Bluff-Luton 21 – 13 – 15
Cherokee Record: 22-3 | Sergeant BLuff-Luton (Record: 16-12)
Cherokee Statistics
Assists (19) — Addy Wolfswinkel 10, Elise Anderson 8, Kadyn Volkert 1.
Kills (22 | Kill Eff: .207) — Laney Wolfswinkel 9, Deidra Doeden 5, A. Wolfswinkel 4, Keylee Gregg 3, Macy Gravenish 1.
Digs (20) — A. Wolfswinkel 8, Gregg 4, Anderson 2, L. Wolfswinkel 2, Ava Bounchard 1, Gravenish 1, Doeden 1, Volkert 1.
Blocks (8.0) — Doeden 2.0 (1 S, 2A), Gregg 2.0 (2 S), A. Wolfswinkel 1.5 (1 S, 1A), L. Wolfswinkel 1.0 (2A), Gravenish 1.0 (2 A), Volkert .50 (1 A).
Serving (Mininum 7 attempts): (42-44 95.5% 5 ace) — Anderson 11-11 (100%), L. Wolfswinkel 7-7 (100%), Gregg 10-11-4 (90.9%).
Cherokee 18 – 25 – 12
Western Christian 25 – 21 – 15
Cherokee Record: 22-4 | Western Christian Record: 24-11
Cherokee Statistics
Assists (24 ) — Elise Anderson 16, Addy Wolfswinkel 6, Keylee Gregg 2.
Kills (24 | Kill Eff: .195) — A. Wolfswinkel 9, Gregg 8, Laney Wolfswinkel 3, Deidra Doeden 2, Macy Gravenish 1, Ellana Mortenson 1.
Digs (34) — Gregg 8, A. Wolfswinkel 8, L. Wolfswinkel 7, Gravenish 5, Anderson 4, Kalexis Hyndman 1, Doeden 1.
Blocks (5.0) — Doeden 2.0 (1 S, 2A), A. Wolfswinkel 1.0 (2 A), Gregg 1.0 (1 S), L. Wolfswinkel .50 (1 A), Gravenish .50 (1 A).
Serving (Mininum 7 attempts): (48-50 96% 4 ace) — L. Wolfswinkel 16-16-1 (100%), A. Wolfswinkel 9-9-1 (100%), Gregg 10-11-1 (90.9%).
