SPEARFISH — Julia Billington pounded 15 kills, and Spearfish rallied late in two sets to sweep Sturgis Brown 27-25, 25-15, 25-22 in volleyball Tuesday night at home.
The win snapped a three-match losing streak for the Spartans and avenged a 3-1 loss at Sturgis on Sept. 22. Spearfish improved to 9-13, and the Scoopers fell to 12-10.
Billington, a junior outside hitter, hit .500 with 15 kills and two errors on 26 swings and added two blocks. As a team, Spearfish totaled 32 kills, hit .250 and served 12 aces.
Spartans answer in a tight opener
Spearfish jumped out quickly. Sturgis errors and a kill by senior Addie Keller started the Spartans on a 6-1 run, and junior Millie Adams added a kill before Keller served an ace. Spearfish stretched the lead to 8-2.
The Scoopers answered with a 7-1 run to tie the set at 9 and led by two points several times from there. Trailing 22-20, Spearfish got a kill from junior Taylor Burry and another from freshman Finley Bouman to pull even.
After the teams tied at 24, Bouman’s block put Spearfish ahead 26-25, and Billington ended the set with a kill.
Big runs decide the second set
Sturgis scored the first two points of the second set, but Spearfish responded with a 9-1 run. Billington started it with a high, arcing shot that found an open spot on the floor for a 3-2 lead. Two Bouman aces, a Billington kill and a string of Sturgis errors fueled the rest of the run.
An ace by Burry made it 17-7. Adams added a block and a kill as the Spartans kept building. The Scoopers cut into the lead with a 5-1 run, but a Billington block restored the 10-point cushion, and her kill closed the set 25-15.
Spearfish closes from behind
The teams traded points early in the third set, and Sturgis built its biggest lead at 13-11. The Scoopers still led 20-17 before Spearfish rallied again.
Bouman and Billington each put down a kill, and Keller’s ace tied the set at 20. Billington then slammed down another high, arcing ball for the Spartans’ first lead of the set. Spearfish never trailed again. Keller added aces down the stretch, and Billington’s final kill sealed the match.
Spartan leaders
Bouman finished with five kills, three aces, four blocks and six digs. Keller had five kills and four aces. Sophomore setter Megan Markovetz handed out 15 assists and added three aces and eight digs, while senior Piper Jacobs had seven assists and five digs.
Burry contributed two kills, two aces and five digs, and sophomore libero Emma Dahl had six digs.
Up next
Spearfish plays at Belle Fourche on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 6 p.m.
Box score
Sturgis Brown (12-10) vs. Spearfish (9-13)
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sturgis Brown | 25 | 15 | 22 | 0 |
Spearfish | 27 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Spearfish individual statistics
Player | K | E | TA | Pct | Ast | Aces | Digs | Blocks (S-A) | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Julia Billington | 15 | 2 | 26 | .500 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1-1 | 17.0 |
Finley Bouman | 5 | 3 | 14 | .143 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 1-3 | 12.0 |
Addie Keller | 5 | 4 | 15 | .067 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0-0 | 9.0 |
Layla Meredith | 3 | 1 | 6 | .333 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-2 | 5.0 |
Taylor Burry | 2 | 1 | 7 | .143 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0-1 | 5.0 |
Millie Adams | 2 | 1 | 11 | .091 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-1 | 3.0 |
Megan Markovetz | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 15 | 3 | 8 | 0-0 | 3.0 |
Piper Jacobs | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0-0 | 0.0 |
Emma Dahl | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0-0 | 0.0 |
Totals | 32 | 12 | 80 | .250 | 29 | 12 | 34 | 2-8 | 50.0 |
Spearfish attack by set
Set | K | E | TA | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 12 | 6 | 33 | .182 |
2 | 9 | 1 | 22 | .364 |
3 | 11 | 5 | 25 | .240 |
Team blocks: 6.0. Service errors: 14. Reception errors: 5 on 52 attempts. Match length: 1 hour, 19 minutes.
Key: K = kills; E = attack errors; TA = total attacks; Pct = hitting percentage; Ast = assists; S-A = solo-assisted blocks.