Eagle volleyball hot start propels them past Wildcats

ST. JOHN — The St. John-Endicott-LaCrosse (SJEL) Eagles (5-2-1) defeated the Colton Wildcats Thursday, Sept. 14, in LaCrosse.

The Eagles moved into first-place in the district with the win against the Wildcats. Oakesdale Nighthawks are second with their 1-0 district record.

The game against the Wildcats saw SJEL fly out of the gates, winning the first set convincingly, 25-5. This was the largest margin of victory in a set for the Eagles so far.

The second set was closer for the Eagles, but they still pulled out the victory, 25-17.

The third set was dominated by the Eagles, as they won the set 25-15, sweeping the Wildcats for the third-straight year. The two teams played three times last season, with SJEL winning all three, two of which were in straight sets.

On the day, Kaitlyn Hough led the way for the Eagles with 16 kills, she also had three blocks for the Eagles.

Setter Julia Guske had 27 assists on the day, and libero Cami Larsen had 15 digs. The service game was led by Ellie Pierson, who had seven.

“The girls played great! Continually growing on a day-to-day basis,” said head coach Jenn Johnson.

SJEL will play Thursday, Sept. 21, against the Oakesdale Nighthawks. The game will likely be the deciding game on which team finishes first in the district for the regular season. The game will be played in Oakesdale, and is set to start at 6 p.m.