The 2024 fall season officially got underway for the Waterville-Elysian-Morristown volleyball team Friday night when the squad traveled to Le Sueur-Henderson H.S. to battle the Giants. In a thrilling match that lasted over two hours, the Buccaneers overcame some early troubles in the service game to earn a 3-2 (22-25, 25-20, 27-29, 25-22, 15-10) victory to get the season started with a win.
The game also featured senior setter Ashlyn Pelant’s 1000th career set assist in the during the fourth set which caused a brief pause in the contest to recognize the achievement.
“I knew I was fifteen away coming into the game,” Pelant recalled after the match. “But I didn’t know on the court and I wondered how close I was.”
It was never easy sailing for the Bucs as the LS-H gymnasium proved to be an excellent atmosphere for a game with fans from both teams providing a back-and-forth feel that matched the momentum swings on the court.
“It was very loud and we needed our team needed to be loud,” said Pelant. “We needed to bring energy to the floor tonight and we did that at the very end.”
Neither team created a lead bigger than three during the opening set and after several ties, the Giants took the edge in the opening set by creating a 23-20 lead which was enough to earn the 25-22 first-set victory.
In the second set, WEM never trailed after building an early 9-4 lead that allowed them to eventually tie the match at 1-1 with a 25-20 victory. In the third set, the action on the floor returned to to the style of the opening set with the biggest lead of three occurring multiple times and LS-H eventually had set point twice with a 24-22 lead before back-to-back points for the Bucs forced extra action.
WEM would find themselves with set point three times, needing a two-point advantage to earn the win, but LS-H survived each time before back-to-back aces that the Bucs struggled to control gave the Giants a 29-27 win and 2-1 lead. WEM responded immediately in the fourth set, building a 14-6 lead when Pelant recorded her milestone assist.
Despite the huge early lead, LS-H battled back, even taking a one-point lead twice before the Bucs once again hunkered down and finished the set with a 4-1 run to force a decisive fifth and final set.
It was with the match firmly on the line that the Bucs found their rhythm once again, building a 10-4 lead which allowed them to cruise to the 15-10 victory, securing the season-opening win.
WEM is scheduled to return to action Tuesday, Aug. 27, when the team returns to the road to take on the Belle Plaine Tigers. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:15 p.m. The Bucs will then travel to Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton H.S. Thursday before playing their home opener Tuesday, Sep. 5, when they host Kenyon Wanamingo.
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