Sub-par at sub-state

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN JENNIFER PROFFIT
The Hillsboro high school volleyball team saw their season cut short after a disappointing loss to Hesston in the semifinals of the sub-state tournament at Brown Gymnasium Saturday.



The Trojans entered the tournament with a 23-6 record and were seeded second behind a tough Minneapolis team which was 27-4.



HHS faced seventh-seeded Halstead in the first round, and beat them in straight games, 15-10, 15-13.



The Trojans were the ones breathing fire early in game one against the Dragons. Jill Hein dominated play above the net and was backed up by Sara Thiessen and Julie Hett.



The girls charged to a 14-6 lead, but Halstead fought back to 14-10 before Hett forced a side out.



Hett then proceeded to the service line and sent a rocket of a serve that set up a spike by Hein to win game one.



Shannon Kroeker, Julie Hett and Angie Herzet patroled the net in game two, combining for 14 kills, but Hillsboro once again let Halstead whittle away their early lead.



The Trojans were up 11-3, but Halstead refused to lay down, and eventually took a 13-12 lead.



With the game tied at 13-13, Dionne Jost came through with consistent serving, putting Hillsboro ahead 14-13. But a nice spike by the Dragons forced a side out.



The Trojans returned the favor, forced a side out and claimed the win on the next serve.



The semifinals pitted Hillsboro against a highly motivated Hesston team. The Trojans once again jumped to an early lead at 5-0 but couldn’t carry it out, as Hesston crawled back in the game, 6-5.



Both teams played well, forcing long points punctuated by tough net play. Robyn Penner had nine blocks and Herzet added 13 kills.



Hillsboro dug balls out of the net, and kept play alive, catching Hesston unprepared.



The Swathers were slamming the ball back over the net, but an undaunted Hein rejected their best offer to seal the victory in game one, 15-9.



An unrecognizable Trojan team came out flat in game two, giving the Swathers a confidence boost.



Hesston shot to an 0-7 lead before Hillsboro called a time-out to regroup.



Even after the break, Hillsboro could not get together, and let Hesston have a 10-0 lead before they made an effort to fight back.



The Trojans made a small run, but were overwhelmed by a freight train of momentum that stayed with the Swathers.



The Trojans were caught counting their change on several occasions, with Hesston racking up point after point with uncontested shots.



Hillsboro dropped the second game 5-15. Unfortunately, their stagnation followed them into game three.



The Trojans fought point-for-point early in the game, but a lack of communication resulted in a 3-8 deficit.



The Trojans would get as close as 6-8, but the Swathers made virtually no mistakes and doused the Trojans 15-9.



Hesston rode their momentum into the finals and upset top-seeded Minneapolis in just two games, 15-9, 15-6.

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