Cambridge Crowned RPAC Champions in Five-Set Battle
- Evan Jones
- 18 minutes ago
- 4 min read
McCook Community College Graff Events Center hosted the RPAC Consolation match between the #1 seed in the East, Southwest, and the #2 seed in the West, Maywood-Hayes Center, as well as the RPAC Championship match with the #2 seed in the East, Cambridge, and the #1 seed in the West, Dundy County Stratton. Be sure to check out our highlights in the blog! Let's dive into the matches.
In set one, Southwest took the early 2-1 lead and extended that lead to a 10-6 lead and forced the Wolves to call a timeout and regroup. MHC started to chip away at the lead, and Southwest called a timeout with a 16-9 lead. The Wolves were putting up a solid block and challenging the Roughriders, which allowed them to string together a couple of runs; however, Southwest created a big enough gap to secure the first set, 25-20, and take the 1-0 lead.
In set two, it was Southwest again who jumped out first with the 5-1 lead, but MHC wasn't letting them get too far ahead this set as they tied the set up at 6-6. Southwest emerged with the 10-8 lead, prompting the Wolves to slow down the pace and call a timeout. It worked as they were able to tie the set at 13-13 out of that timeout, but Southwest regained control and forced MHC to use their final timeout with the 18-15 lead. Southwest took the second set with a set score of 25-19 to take a 2-0 lead.
In the third set, MHC took the 2-1 lead, and the two went back and forth. It was a tough set, but the Wolves took the 7-4 lead. The Roughriders were looking to close out the match and pulled within one, 10-9, to force MHC to call a timeout. Again, it was back and forth as the two were tied at 13-13 before Southwest took the 17-14 lead and MHC called their final timeout. The Wolves surged out of the timeout, pulling within two, 19-17, and forcing Southwest to use a timeout. It was a lot of rallies and back and forth, but Southwest was able to close out the set 25-23 and win the match, 3-0.
We caught up with Aspen Billeter after the match. Check out the interview brought to you by Acme Printing Company!
Unofficially for Maywood-Hayes Center, Karissa Stengel had 11 kills, Caylie Softley had eight kills, Blayklee Farr had six kills, and Addison Richards had six kills.
Unofficially for Southwest, the Roughriders had five aces in the match, Kyra Nelms had 21 kills, and Anikka Nelms had 20 kills.
We anticipated that this one would be a slugfest, and well, I think we were right. It took all five sets, and there were some huge blocks, powerful hits, and tough serves.
In set one, the Tigers took a 7-3 lead over the Trojans and maintained momentum, forcing Cambridge to call a timeout with a 15-10 lead. DCS maintained momentum after the timeout, closing out the set 25-14 to take a 1-0 lead.
The Tigers struck first in the second set and kept the pressure on the Trojans as they took an early 9-3 lead over Cambridge, forcing them to use a timeout early. With some big blocks and heavy hits, the Tigers continued to extend their lead to 18-13 and force Cambridge to use their final timeout. Coach Carpenter was able to ignite the Trojans out of the timeout as they began to chip away at the Tiger lead and force DCS to call a timeout with the 21-17 lead. DCS extended their lead to 24-21. Cambridge freshman, Kolbryn Clason, took the service line and didn't let go as she was able to cause chaos with her serve to help propel the Trojans to win the second set with a score of 26-24. Cambridge evened the match at 1-1.
In the third set, DCS took the 3-0 lead, but the Trojans were able to knot the score at 4-4. The two exchanged points while Cambridge had the 12-10 lead and forced DCS to call a timeout. The Tigers clawed back into the set as they tied the set up at 18-18, and it was tied up again at 19-19. Cambridge took the 20-19 lead and extended it to 22-20, forcing the Tigers to call a timeout. The Trojans went on to win the set, 25-23, and took the 2-1 match lead.
In set four, the Tigers took a 9-1 lead and forced Cambridge to call a timeout. DCS kept the pressure on, taking the fourth set 25-9, even the match at 2-2, and forcing a deciding set.
In the fifth set, DCS took the first point, but the Trojans answered, and they exchanged points to tie the set up at 4-4. Cambridge took the 7-5 lead, forcing DCS to call a timeout. Cambridge was able to string a run together as they extended their lead to 13-7, forcing the Tigers to use their final timeout. The Trojans went on to take the fifth set, 15-8, winning the match, 3-2.
Unofficially for DCS, the Tigers had 10 aces, Emily Schack had 20 kills, Abi Spargo had 12 kills, Clara Spargo had 10 kills, and Ava Lutz had five kills.
Unofficially for Cambridge, the Trojans had six aces, Mallory Springer had 18 kills, Brooklyn Holtze had 16 kills, Joslyn Holtze had four kills, and Elisabeth Kubik and Annabelle Taylor each had two kills.
We caught up with Mallory Springer after the match. Check out the interview brought to you by Acme Printing Company!
Check out our highlights from both matches brought to you by Prairie Girl Candle Company!
The RPAC teams will enter their respective subdistrict tournaments next week. Stay tuned to RPAC Rundown social media pages and the Weekly Blog Recap for more information about subdistricts for next week.