Seward Fights Hard On Day One of Shootout

The Seward County Lady Saints played two hard fought matches Friday at the Wyo-Braska Shootout in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, winning a five set marathon against Laramie County before turning around and playing #1 Western Nebraska tough in a three set loss to split on day one of action in the Husker State. 

It took the Lady Saints a while to get going in their first match of the tournament as they took on a solid 9-3 Laramie County squad.  Seward fell behind 9-4 in the first before an 8-0 run, highlighted by three straight aces from Erica Ferreira put the Lady Saints in front 12-9. They never looked back from there in the first, going on to finish the set on an incredible 21-4 run to take the set 25-13 to grab a 1-0 lead in the match. 

Seward used early Laramie mistakes against the Golden Eagles in the second, jumping out to a 6-0 lead on just a single point earned by the Lady Saints. Seward looked well in control getting a solo block and then a kill from Maritza Mesa to make it 10-2 before pushing their lead to double digits at 14-4 on a kill from setter Amanda Pereira midway through.  But just as the Lady Saints did in the first, the Golden Eagles answered with a huge run in the second to get back into the game.  Laramie scored 12 of the next 14 points, turning a 10 point Seward lead into a 17-17 deadlock.  The Lady Saints retook the lead momentarily, but they couldn't slow the Eagle roll as Laramie kept momentum on their side, finishing off the set 25-23 to even the match at one a piece.

The Lady Saints took their frustrations out on the Golden Eagles in the third, jumping out to a quick 5-1 lead early on before pushing that advantage to 13-4 midway through, once again behind a strong effort at the service line from Ferreira.  Laramie stormed back once again to get to within three at 14-11, but this time the Lady Saints didn't cough up the lead, holding the Eagles off and eventually creating some distance and finishing them off 25-16 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

The fourth set was the most contested of the match as the two jostled back and forth to a 9-9 tie early on and a 14-13 Laramie lead midway through.  It was a two point Golden Eagle advantage at 18-16 when the Lady Saints shot themselves in the foot, committing four straight errors to see their deficit grow to six.  The rough patch was enough to do the Lady Saints in as Seward was unable to get any closer than two the rest of the way home as Laramie closed it out 25-23 to even the match at two and send it to a deciding fifth set. 

Seward came out fired up and ready to go in the fifth, getting a kill from Kaysie Paxton to get them going and three from Mesa later on to get out to a 7-2 lead to begin the deciding set.  Laramie clawed back, but it was still 8-5 Seward as the crossover.  A crucial service error followed by a ball handling error whittled the Lady Saints lead down to just one, but a big solo block from Belissa Guidotti got Seward back on track and pushed them to a big finish as the Lady Saints closed the fifth on a 5-1 run to win 15-10 and take the match 3-2.  Seward saved their best for last, hitting an even .500 with nine kills and just one error on 16 swings in the fifth, by far their most efficient hitting set of the match. 

Mesa led the Lady Saints with 16 kills in the win while Guidotti and Mariana Nascimento combined for 14 with just three errors in the middle.  Pereira chalked up a double double with 33 assists and 10 digs for Seward while Jazlyn Smith led the Lady Saints backrow with 17 digs.  It was Seward's second best blocking effort of the season with 15 total rejections, getting eight from the reigning Jayhawk West Defensive Player of the Week Guidotti and a career best seven from Paxton. 

SEWARD COUNTY/LARAMIE COUNTY BOX SCORE

In a convenient move of gamesmanship by the tournament host, the Lady Saints were forced to play the home team and #1 ranked Western Nebraska just moments after they had gotten done with their five set thriller with Laramie.  The Lady Saints and Cougars played even through the first 10 points of the first before a 5-0 run for Western put the Cougars in front 10-5.  Seward didn't roll over, battling back to get to within one later on, but a blocking error followed by an attack error gave Western a three point lead and the Cougars never relinquished it, going on to take the first 25-18 for a 1-0 lead in the match. 

Seward again went toe to toe with the nation's top ranked squad in the second, playing Western Nebraska even through the first 24 points of the set before using a Cougar service error to take a one point lead at the midpoint of the period.  It continued to be a back and forth affair, but in the end, the Cougars firepower was just too much for the gals in green as Western pulled out the second 25-22 to go ahead 2-0 in the match.

With their backs to the wall, the Lady Saints came out swinging in the third, jumping out to a 7-2 lead on the Cougars after three straight aces from libero Daimond Aguinaldo.  They held the lead to the midway junction of the set, but a 5-0 Western Nebraska run shifted the lead onto the home side of the scoreboard at 16-12.  Seward made one last push, cutting the Western Nebraska lead to one at 20-19 late, but in the end, the Cougars were able to hold off the Lady Saints 25-20 to sweep the match 3-0.

Paxton was the only Lady Saint to reach double figures in kills in the defeat as she picked up 10 but had six errors on 27 swings.  Agiunaldo and setter Giovanna Kuntze each had nine digs to lead the team while Nascimento was in on five of Seward's seven blocks in the match. 

SEWARD COUNTY/#1 WESTERN NEBRASKA BOX SCORE

The split pushes the Lady Saints to 11-4 on the season with two early morning matches in Scottsbluff on the docket for Saturday.  Seward will take on Sheridan in their first match before squaring off against another National Tournament semifinalist from a season ago in their second tilt of the day as they battle Northwest.