Bulldogs top Lions in NCC opener

(Above) Clear Lake’s Emilie Jandebeuer battles it out at the net with a Hampton-Dumont player while Carson Frahm (9) and Chloe Mueller (1) look on.  -Reporter photo by Chris Barragy

Hampton-Dumont survived a tough test in the opening game, then went on to sweep Clear Lake in the first North Central Conference match of the season for both teams.  The Bulldogs (3-4) topped the Lions, 28-26, 25-10, 25-13.

“We continue to struggle with errors and taking care of the ball on our side of the net.  I thought we battled really well in the first set, but struggled after that,” said Clear Lake Coach Jill Smith.   “Each match is an opportunity to learn and grow, and this match is no different. We will use this match to make us better.”

The Lions will build upon an offense led by Jessica Faber with seven kills and Kiersten Baalson with five.  Kayla Ritter and Emily Snelling put down four and three kills respectively.

Carson Frahm was credited with 19 assists, while Chloe Mueller had a team-high 18 digs.  Faber was also in double digits for digs with 12.

The Lions struggled a bit from the service line, averaging 88 percent accuracy.  The team was led by Snelling, who went 10/10, and Frahm, 12/13 with three aces.  Faber put in 11 of 13 service attempts with two aces.

Mason City 2, CL 0

Charles City 2, CL 0

The Lions hosted Mason City and Charles City in a triangular meet Thursday, Sept. 8.  Charles City, rated fourth in Class 4A, was undefeated on the night.  Both visitors got the best of the Lions in both matches, 2-0.

Mason City topped the Lions, 25-14, 25-19.  Jessica Faber put down four kills to lead the Lions.  Kiersten Baalson and Emily Snelling each had two.  Faber was also the leader on defense with eight digs.  The Lions had some trouble at the service line, putting in just 76 percent of their serves.  Snelling and Kayla Ritter were each 8/9 to lead the team.  Ritter had the

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only ace in the match.

Against Charles City, the Lions improved their serving to 84 percent, with Carson Frahm going 5/5.  Ritter was next with a 5/6 effort.  At the net, Baalson had three kills.  Frahm made four assists.  Snelling and Chloe Mueller had six and four digs respectively.

The Comets got the victory by scores of 25-13 and 25-14.

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