The West Liberty Volleyball team grabbed a victory in their top 10 matchup against Mid-Prairie Thursday as one of their four over the previous week.
In the process, the Comets dropped a pair to Beckman Catholic but defeated Fairfield, Centerville and Williamsburg in their 4-2 week.
On Thursday, the Comets took part in another ranked matchup, this time against newfound rivals Mid-Prairie.
The Golden Hawks entered the contest with a sixth-place ranking in Class 3A, four spots above the host Comets.
The West Liberty High School gym was packed for the affair. The Comets struggled in the first set, being held to 13 points in the opener as the visitors went on to win by 12.
The Comets rebounded quickly in the second set, grabbing a close 25-18 victory.
The third and fourth sets continued as a back-and-forth affair before the Comets ultimately defended their home court and captured a 3-1 victory.
In this match, junior Sophie Buysse had 13 of her team’s 44 kills. Junior Kaylee Pelzer was right behind her with 12 and senior Ava Morrison chipped in with seven.
On defense, senior Gabriella Morales had a whopping 33 digs to lead all players that night.
Junior Jayleen Kivi had 13 and Buysse completed a double-double with 10 digs.
Additionally, sophomore Emma Yoder had a game-high 36 assists and junior Mallory Wulf led all players with five blocks.
On Saturday, the Comets headed to Williamsburg to take on tournament play for the Raiders’ home invitational.
The Comets swept through their first three matches without much resistance.
West Liberty defeated Fairfield 2-0 (21-14, 21-7), Centerville 2-0 (21-13, 21-12) and Williamsburg 2-0 (21-15, 21-14).
Afterwards, they squared off against the eventual tournament champions from Beckman Catholic.
The Blazers dominated the opening set, holding the Comets to nine points before completing the sweep in the second with a 21-18 victory.
The two teams went on to meet later in the day again with similar results as the Comets fell 21-16 and 21-10 en route to their second loss.
Some home cooking is on the menu for this coming weekend. After a full six days off, the Comets will host their annual volleyball invitational with five teams coming to town: Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Danville, Davenport North, Muscatine and Washington.
The team’s next River Valley Conference matchup will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 24, in West Branch against the Bears.
Season statistics summary
Kills
Sophie Buysse, 108; Kaylee Pelzer, 97; Ava Morrison, 71; Mallory Wulf, 48; Porter Maurer, 22; Emmee Wiele, 20; Emma Yoder, 11; Madi Buysse, 8; Tenley Nixt, 3; Gabriella Morales, 3.
Kill Efficiency (Min. 10 Kills)
Kaylee Pelzer, .315; Ava Morrison, .311; Emma Yoder, .229; Sophie Buysse, .211; Porter Maurer, .181; Emmee Wiele, .179; Mallory Wulf, .128.
Assists
Emma Yoder, 299; Gabriella Morales, 28; Ava Morrison, 20; Sophie Buysse, 7; Tenley Nixt, 1.
Digs
Gabriella Morales, 198; Sophie Buysse, 128; Tenley Nixt, 102; Emma Yoder, 94; Jayleen Kivi, 75; Ava Morrison, 45; Kaylee Pelzer, 38; Mallory Wulf, 17; Madi Buysse, 11; Emmee Wiele, 6; Porter Maurer, 2.
Blocks
Mallory Wulf, 16; Sophie Buysse, 5; Kaylee Pelzer, 4; Emmee Wiele, 2; Emma Yoder, 1; Ava Morrison, 1.
Aces
Emma Yoder, 16; Sophie Buysse, 13; Tenley Nixt, 10; Kaylee Pelzer, 10; Gabriella Morales, 10; Madi Buysse, 6; Porter Maurer, 4.