Class A state volleyball tournament: Black Panthers bounce Lennox in consolation bracket sweep
Nov. 17—RAPID CITY — No. 8 seed Lennox put up a fight in the first and third sets but couldn't overpower No. 4 Platte-Geddes, as the Black Panthers earned a straight-set win in the Class A consolation bracket on Friday at Summit Arena. Set scores were 25-23, 25-14 and 25-23.
Leading the Black Panthers, Cadence Van Zee notched 14 kills and nine digs alongside 13 kills and 12 digs from Karly VanDerWerff. Kori VanDerWerff added nine kills, as Baleigh Nachtigal distributed 37 set assists with six digs and one service ace. Halle Sprik had 11 digs and one ace, and Hadley Hanson had nine digs.
Lennox's Dani Highum led all players with 18 kills, and Carli Kuyper contributed seven kills. Lillian Meyer and Ella Grengs combined for 30 assists, with Meyer tacking on two aces. Ashlee Sweeter had a team-high 11 digs for the Orioles (19-12).
In a rematch from the same stage a season ago, Platte-Geddes (32-7) now faces off with No. 7 Dakota Valley for the fifth-place consolation bracket championship at 1:45 p.m. Saturday. Platte-Geddes last won the Class A consolation championship in 2010, with Class B consolation titles in 2015 and 2016.
In the other Class A consolation bracket match, No. 7 Dakota Valley proved too much for No. 6 Wagner, shutting down the Red Raiders' bid to push the match beyond three sets on Friday afternoon. Set scores were 25-19, 25-17 and 29-27.
Sophie Tuttle recorded a match-high 16 kills with 17 digs and was one of five Panthers with a pair of aces at the service line. Claire Munch added nine kills and a match-high 24 digs, as Jacee Squier and Bria Perryman combined for 41 assists for Dakota Valley (20-11).
For the Red Raiders, Ashlyn Koupal finished with nine kills and 11 digs, while Macy Koupal and Kya Kjeldgaard each had eight kills with 15 and 12 digs, respectively. Macy Koupal also contributed 23 assists, as Aubrey Medricky and Ravyn Medricky each had four block assists.
Wagner (26-8) will play No. 8 Lennox in the seventh-place match at noon Saturday, as the Red Raiders look to match their placement from the 2022 state tournament.
