March 28, 2024

Diagonal gives ACA a spirited test

Maroonettes drop to 0-7, but not before making surging Eagles squad sweat

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DIAGONAL — One team entered with an eight-match winning streak and the other had not posted a win through six matches.

Yet Diagonal took Ankeny Christian Academy nearly to its limit in falling in five sets at home Thursday, with the Eagles emerging victorious 25-27, 25-16, 25-19, 14-25, 15-7.

Diagonal dropped to 0-7 despite playing its most competitive match of the season. ACA improved to 13-9 and now owns a nine-match winning streak.

“Every game so far has been on us,” Diagonal head coach Allison Hajek said. “Either we play well and it’s fine or we lose it ourselves because we’re not playing well. The other teams don’t control what we do or how we play.”

Coming off a Tuesday match in which Diagonal lost in three sets to Murray in which it took the second set 31-29, Hajek has seen her team play with improved confidence.

“Tuesday night was a big confidence boost for them that, ‘we are  better than this’ and we need to play at our level, not what people perceive our level to be,” Hajek said.

The Eagles came out without energy and the Maroonettes capitalized for an early 5-0 lead to start the match.

Bailey Taylor’s hitting started early, as she set the tone for a night where she posted 15 kills. She also put forth a 16-of-17 serving night.

“I thought Bailey found her stride tonight. She had been working toward it and I think it clicked tonight for her,” Diagonal assistant coach Mallory Grandfield said.

ACA surged back to claim a 10-9 lead and led by as much as 20-14 before Taylor and Emily Newton helped the Maroonettes to grab a foothold in the set with their aggressive play.

Kayla Bentley and Newton both notched attacking winners and as the two squads went tick-for-tack. It was Taylor once more whose hitting consistency led her to tally the two points. The latter capped a minute-long rally, that won Diagonal the first set 27-25.

Erin Sobotka was locked in from her setter role, as she compiled 21 assists and six digs. She also went 23-24 on serves.

“Tonight, our setters connecting with all the hitters was wonderful, especially with Bailey and Emily,” Hajek said. “So that was important and I always put it on our passers first that they have to get the pass to Erin before Erin can help the middles out.”

ACA’s Kenna Laib and Jennifer Smith helped the Eagles to seize set two and Hannah Howard’s service run turned what was an evenly-matched set three that was 12-11 before her service run into six straight serving points. Alee Haidsiak got into the action hitting from her outside spot, but ACA fended of the comeback attempt to take a 2-1 lead with the 25-19 win.

Laib finished the evening with 27 assists. Howard totaled a team-high 18 digs for ACA.

Whatever issues the Maroonettes experienced in the third set, they quickly squashed in the fourth as a defensive-oriented approach allowed Diagonal to race out to a commanding lead and relatively easy win in the fourth, 25-14.

Newton’s digging ability cleaned up ACA’s big swings from the likes of Alyssa Kunz and Laib, but the Eagles continually made attacking errors. Newton ended the night with 16 digs, nine kills and was 14-14 serving.

“We were prepared defensively for them,” Hajek said. “We were digging their balls and giving it right back to them. Our outsides did a wonderful job and our middles did a wonderful job digging.”

Kunz slammed 16 kills in the match and the Eagles finished with 45 kills as a team.

Haidsiak and Kayla Bentley both made acrobatic saves of balls that put Diagonal back into its offense and kept the pressure on ACA.

“Alee has really shined these last two games and she has been the aggressive one, the go-getter one, the one who makes these surprise plays where she hasn’t given up on balls,” Hajek said.

Those ACA errors did not come in the fifth and deciding set as a Laib serving run stretched a 4-3 ACA lead into a 9-3 advantage.

Taylor notched several more winners, but Diagonal could not overcome miscommunication mistakes in the final set, falling 15-7.

Diagonal had seven players available Friday with Sofia Ciferelli out of action on a family trip.

UP NEXT — Diagonal (0-7, 0-6) hosts Twin Cedars (2-12) Tuesday.

Ankeny Christian Academy 3, Diagonal 2

Serving (aces) — Diag: Erin Sobotka 23-24 (3), Emily Newton 14-14 (2), Bailey Taylor 16-17 (1), Alee Haidsiak 12-14, Kerrigan Mobley 9-11 (2), Kayla Bentley 7-12 (2).

Attacks (kills) — Diag: Taylor 24-31 (16), Newton 17-25 (8), Haidsiak 13-15 (2), Bentley 5-7 (1), Sobotka 2-2.

Setting (assists) — Diag: Sobotka 21, Bentley 2, Mobley 1, Haidsiak 1.

Digs — Diag: Newton 16, Haidsiak 8, Sobotka 6, Taylor 4, Bentley 4, Mobley 4.