After a 3 and 3 showing in Douglas, Wyoming over the weekend, the Alliance volleyball squad was back on the court Tuesday night with a matchup against Scottsbluff. Alliance battled to the end but came up short in the varsity affair. The Bluffs downed the Dogs 25 20 24 26 25 20 25 to 16. With the loss, Alliance drops to 3 and 5 for the season. Scottsbluff also got the W in both the reserve and junior varsity contests played earlier in the evening. The Bulldog reserve club fell in 2 sets while the JV team lost by scores of 25 8 25 13. In both sets in the junior varsity game, the Dogs got kills by Olivia Krejci, Ande Girard, and Kaitlyn Shannon to stay close.
Early action had the Bulldogs the aggressor in the opening set of the varsity matchup. Ahead 10 to 6, AHS got a kill by Kaiah Adams to extent their margin to 5. A kill by Senior Addison Weber later in the set broke a tie at 13. Knotted at 15, a block by Weber put the Dogs up by one. Another ace block, this one by Ryli Poss, made the score 18 to 17 with the Cats hanging on by one. Scottsbluff would unfortunately make the plays in the final moments to take the opener. Another Weber block would make it a 22 to 19 contest but the hosts went on a 3 to 1 run to grab set one 25 to 20. Both Adams and Weber ended the set with 3 kills apiece while Kenley Jelinek led the offense with 3 points. Brinlee Lanik chipped in with 2 scores.
Set #2 was another close one. Alliance raced to an early advantage with senior Alexis Libsack getting an ace block that put the Bulldogs out in front 7 to 3. The teams would then trade points. Another ace spike by Weber broke a 17 to 17 tie. Down the stretch, it was the Dogs turn to pull away. A kill by Krejic put the Bulldogs ahead 24 to 23. It was followed by a kill by Ahrianna Galvan that made it 25 to 24. The game finished with AHS getting a kill by Freshman Maslin Breen and the Dogs taking set two 26 to 24. Weber again was solid in the set with 4 kills and 3 points. Adams ended the set with 3 kills while Poss had 3 points.
An early kill in set #3 by Weber helped Alliance take a 2 to 1 lead. Both teams would trade scores throughout the set. More ace spikes by Adams and Breen keep AHS’s dreams alive but in the end it was the Bluffs making the most plays. Set 3 went to the Bearcats 25 to 20. Lanik had 2 points for the Dogs in the set. Scottsbluff continued their fine plays in the fourth and final set. Alliance would get fourth set ace blocks by Libsack, Weber, Poss, and Breen to stay close. In the end, it was the Cats taking the set 25 to 16.
Alliance will host Chadron on Tuesday.