Cards drop close battle to Hampton-Dumont

There was a hard-fought battle on Tuesday, Sept. 27, when the Garner-Hayfield-Ventura volleyball team traveled to Hampton to take on the Bulldogs.

The Cards came out strong in the first game and won, 25-17.  Hampton-Dumont won the second game, 25-20.  Again it was the Cardinal’s turn as they recorded a 25-19 victory.  The Bulldogs won the last two contests to take the match, 25-20 and 15-10.

“We need to tighten up our serving and continue to work on controlling the tempo on our side,” said Coach Kelsey Steffens.

The team was killing it at the net, with both Hannah Lau and Mackenzie Van Gerpen recording 20 kills apiece.  Carlie Knutson also had a strong night with 12 kills.

Bailee Frayne handled the assists for the game, setting up 45 kills.

Van Gerpen and Knutson led on defense with 19 and 16 digs respectively. Frayne, Fede Monteleone, Lau and Jacki Van Oort all recorded 10 digs apiece.

Lau recorded two blocks, while Katelyn Wilson had one.

Van Oort led the team at the service line with three ace serves.

The Cardinals are home on Thursday, Oct. 6, when they host Rockford.  The JJV and JV take the floor at 6 p.m., followed by the varsity at 7:30 p.m.  The Class 3A - Region 4 Regional Volleyball pairings were announced.  The Cardinals will play Hampton-Dumont in the opening round on Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. in Garner.