Roundup: Eddies, Vikings remain atop Wolverine standings

Published 12:29 pm Friday, October 7, 2022

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EDWARDSBURG — The Wolverine Conference volleyball championship race took another twist Thursday night.

Heading into conference play, Edwardsburg, Niles and Sturgis were tied for the top spot at 4-1, while Otsego was 3-1 and Three Rivers 3-2.

The Eddies and Vikings were both winners Thursday as they swept Otsego and Paw Paw, respectively, while the Wildcats knocked off Sturgis in a five-set thriller.

That leaves the Vikings and Eddies tied atop the Wolverine Conference standings at 5-1, while Sturgis and Three Rivers are tied for third at 4-2. Otsego drops to fifth with a 3-2 records.

 

Edwardsburg Volleyball

The Eddies and Bulldogs battled tooth and nail, with Edwardsburg coming out on top 25-23, 25-17 and 25-20 to improve to 20-7-5 overall.

The Eddies again were dominant up front with Drew Glaser, Sarah Pippin, Nisa Shier and Liz Peterson combining for 40 kills and four blocks. Pippin led Edwardsburg with 13 kills, while Glaser had 12, Shier nine and Pederson six. Pederson and Ella Armock both finished with two blocks.

Defensively, the Eddies were led by Alaina DeHart’s 18 digs. Lexi Schimpa added 16 digs, with Ava Meek recording 11 and Glaser 10. Schimpa also had 37 assists.

Niles seniors Jillian Bruckner (left) and Anna Johnson were honored prior to the match Thursday for reaching 1,000 kills and 1,000 assists, respectively. (Submitted photo

Niles Volleyball

The Vikings made short work of the Red Wolves, winning 25-17, 25-10 and 25-11 to improve to 22-17-6 on the season.

Before the match, senior Jillian Bruckner was honored for her 1,000th career kill, and senior Anna Johnson was honored for her 1,000th career assist.

“Tonight was a total team effort,” said Niles Coach Samantha Zimmerman. “Everyone played their role perfectly and everyone contributed to tonight’s win. We had a great home crowd tonight for our pink night to honor breast cancer awareness. We also celebrated Jillian Bruckner’s 1,000 career kills before the game [1,147 after tonight] and Anna Johnson made her 1,000th career assist in the first 7 points of the match tonight.”

Zimmerman was pleased with how her team stayed focused on defeating Paw Paw, celebrating their teammates, and working to help raise money for a great cause.

“We played very clean volleyball tonight and executed great team chemistry in front of our home crowd,” she said. “We now have a week off to prepare for our last conference match against Otsego next Thursday, where we will battle for first place in the conference.”