The Class B No. 2 Norris volleyball team was perfect at home entering Tuesday night, and they remained flawless as the Titans swept Class C-2 No. 1 Lincoln Lutheran.
Despite facing a tough opponent, Norris stayed true to their mission to “protect home court†and came away with a win.
“That was one of our goals, to protect our court,†Norris coach Christina Boesiger said. “It was close, and it wasn’t our cleanest game, but we did a good job.â€
The Titans hadn’t dropped a set at home this season, and with their backs against the wall, Boesiger called a timeout as Lutheran led 24-22 in the second set.
“I just told them, ‘you have to score your own points,’†Boesiger said, emphasizing the hitting errors that had given the Warriors the lead. “Stop giving them points, and I reminded them we didn’t want this to be a four- or five-set match.
“Our goal was to win in three sets, so I think they refocused, regrouped, and pulled it out.â€
As Norris claimed the second set to take a 2-0 advantage, Lincoln Lutheran coach Sue Ziegler expressed frustration that her team didn’t secure the set.
“It could have been different because there’s a different feel at 1-1 compared to going for a reverse sweep,†Ziegler said. “We were right there in the third, but having a lead, losing it, and then trying to come back – it’s hard to succeed when you let those little opportunities slip away.â€
A key factor in Norris sealing the match was how cohesive the Titan team played. After losing starting setter Malorie Boesiger for the season, the entire team stepped up in her absence.
Zoe Rademacher and Harper Gable have filled the setter role seamlessly, and Titan attackers didn’t miss a beat. Anna Jelinek led with a match-high 16 kills, while Kendall Cose contributed eight, and Alli Bornschlegl added seven.
“Once we told everyone that Malorie was out, there were some tears,†Boesiger said. “I saw the looks on their faces and said, ‘Hey, this isn’t changing our goal, and it’s not going to change our outcome. We might get there a little differently, and we might not be as fast, but we’ll go back to basics.’ Everyone really took ownership of their roles.â€
As Norris completed their perfect home season, Lutheran took the error-filled night in stride and is determined to bounce back.
“We love this match, and even though we’ve taken more losses than wins from it, Norris is a great opponent,†Ziegler said. “We knew there would be times they’d get big kills or we’d be down, but we had to respond, and I think our girls did a good job of responding.
“We just need to finish. We’ve talked about that after our other losses to Minden and Waverly – we were right there in all of them. This is another case where we can play with the best teams. We’re competitive, we’ll learn from this, and we will get better.â€
Although the Warriors were swept for the first time in three years – also by Norris – Ziegler wouldn’t change her team’s difficult schedule.
“We play one of the toughest schedules in the state, and it prepares us for what’s to come,†Ziegler said. “For us to come out and play our hearts out in these last six matches of the season, our girls are so competitive – they’re not going to let a loss like this hold them down.
“Norris is a good team, but I’m really proud of our girls and their ability to bounce back. This loss doesn’t change our mission, which is to give our seniors a great farewell.â€