The Falcon volleyball team had an extremely busy week, taking on Estrella Foothills last Tuesday, Sept. 23, Tempe Prep on Thursday, Sept. 25, and multiple teams over the weekend during the Estrella Foothills tournament.

The Falcons beat Estrella Foothills on the road early in the week before falling to Tempe Prep Thursday. The team went 4-3 in the tournament, making for a balanced week in competitive play.

Estrella

The Falcons began their week on a high note, managing to topple Estrella Foothills on the road in a competitive outing that lasted a full five games.

The Falcons won 25-22 in game one before falling 25-21 in game two. The local ladies bounced back to take game three by a score of 25-23, only to fall behind yet again in the fourth by a score of 25-14. Playing for all of the marbles in a fifth game tie-breaker, the Falcons managed to pull ahead of their hosts and claim a big 15-6 victory, earning them a “W” in the full match.

According to head coach Christie Slegers, Madeline Feyrer-Melk led the team with 24 serves and one ace, contributing 16 points to the team’s win.

Amara Feyrer-Melk and Kelly Pederson also continued to lead the team with attacks while Gabby Mei provided loads of assists.

Tempe Prep

The Falcons didn’t fare quite so well in front of the hometown crowd two nights later, falling to Tempe Prep in four matches.

The Falcons won the first game by a narrow 25-23 difference before losing games two and three by similarly close margins; 27-25 and 26-24, respectively. The fourth game went more soundly in Tempe Prep’s favor, with the Falcons losing 25-16.

“This was Jalin Yoder’s first match returning from a knee injury incurred on Sept. 4,” Slegers said.

“She returned with a stellar performance including 66 attacks, 25 kills, six errors, 16 serves, five aces and nine points.”

Gabby Mei set the ball an impressive 127 times this outing with only two errors. She also served for 15, landing four points.

Jenna Serrano also did well from the serve, offering up nine and claiming five points and two aces. Paige Greenly led the team defensively at the net with 31 blocks, nine of which were solo.

“The Lady Falcons’ loss to Tempe Prep was partially due to the team having trouble with serve reception and picking up tips on defense,” Slegers explained.

Tournament

Last Friday and Saturday, the Falcons took part in a tournament hosted out of Estrella Foothills, playing matches that lasted two games to 25 points with a third game going to 15 if needed.

In pool play, the local ladies bested Mingus in two (25-12, 25-16) and Lee Williams (25-17, 25-16) before falling to Verrado in two (25-15, 25-21).

Seeded seventh out of 24 teams heading into the championship bracket, the Falcons began day two with a win against Parker, going 25-18, 25-20. The girls followed this with a loss to Sedona in three (25-23, 21-25, 9-15) and a loss to Copper Canyon in three (22-25, 25-19, 11-15).

The team ended on a high note, besting Safford in one game to 25, earning a close 25-23 victory.

The Falcons had a little sour luck throughout the tournament, with Jordan Wodynski suffering a concussion from a hard-hit ball and Gabby Mei sitting out three matches due to illness.

Jalin Yoder filled in as setter during the Copper Canyon and Safford matches. Slegers said she did a great job, but her attacks and kills were missed.

“Overall, we played well as a team, moving and playing aggressively, both offensively and defensively throughout the two-day tournament,” Slegers said.