Eagles take down Grizzlies, Skyhawks
The Chadron State Eagles’ volleyball team improved to 8-2 over the weekend, first defeating Adams State for the first time since 2006, Friday, then sweeping Fort Lewis College on Saturday. Both matches were home contests.
Friday the Eagles won 25-23, 25-20, 17-25, 17-25 to defeat the Grizzlies. On Saturday, the team’s gritty sweep of the Skyhawks came in a trio of closely contested sets that ended 28-26, 28-26, 25-21. The wins meant CSC is 2-0 in conference play for the first time since 1993, according to CSC Sports Information.
Saturday’s win against the Skyhawks didn’t come easy for the Eagles, but the team never trailed by much through any set.
“I think Fort Lewis is a really good team,” CSC Volleyball Head Coach Jennifer Stadler said. “They’re really scrappy, they play really good defense. They’ve got some really solid middle attacks.”
Stadler said she thought the Eagles did well to hang with the Skyhawks and continue to battle even when down.
“I thought we did a really good job of playing consistent, not making a lot of errors when it was tight and just being confident with our play and being aggressive at the net,” she said.
During the match, senior libero Ashton Burditt, of Spearfish, South Dakota, set a new school record for digs in a three-set match with 32. On Monday she was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week.
“It’s one of those things where you just have to sit and read because they’re good hitters,” Burditt said of her match, Saturday.
“Honestly I just play as hard as I can and try to get as many touches as I can and that helps,” she said.
Stadler had high praise for the senior after her record-setting match.
“Ash is super solid all of the time,” she said. “She’s a kid who’s always bringing it every single practice. She elevates her team by her presence and continues to get better every match I’ve been coached her. I thought today she just did a good job of staying patient in her defense and reading the hitter and then making good defensive moves.”
According to CSC Sports Information, Burditt averaged 8.43 digs per set in her team’s seven sets over the weekend. Her 32-dig performance on Saturday was preceded with a 27-dig match against Adams State on Friday.
Speaking with CSC Sports Information, Stadler called Friday’s match “a total team effort.”
The Eagles trailed the Grizzlies for much of the first set, but the offense eventually found its footing and outscored its opponent 13-7 to win it. From there the Eagles led the way until they took a step back with a 25-17 loss in the third set, but the team battled back for a 25-17 set win of their own in the fourth that secured the match in their favor.
The Eagle offense was led on Friday by freshman Rylee Greiman who had 15 kills. Junior Chandler Hageman also had double-digit kills with 12. Senior Shelby Schouten hit .308 in the match with nine kills. As a team the Eagles hit .171. Freshman setter Tori Strickbine had 41 assists.
Three players, Burditt, Greiman and Karli Noble had double-digit digs in the match. Burditt had 27, Greiman had 20 and Noble had 10. Noble also had four aces.
On Saturday, Schouten, Hageman and Greiman each hit double-digit kills, led by Schouten who had 12. Hageman had 11 kills while hitting .400 during the match. Greiman also had 11. Senior Timmi Keisel’s .333 hitting percentage put her in good company with Hageman as the only Eagles to hit above .300 in the match. As a team, CSC hit .247. Strickbine had 40 assists.
Burditt, Greiman, Noble and Strickbine all had double-digit digs in the match. Burditt had 32, Greiman had 17 and Strickbine and Noble each had 12.
This weekend the Eagles return to the road where they’ll face Colorado Christian University in Lakewood, Colorado, on Friday and Regis University in Denver, Saturday. Colorado Christian is 4-7 this season and has lost its last four straight matches. Regis is 8-2 and had won their last two matches prior to facing Colorado Christian on Tuesday. Results of that match were not available at time of print. The Rangers play Metro State University of Denver on Friday ahead of the Eagles.