No. 6 Jimmies win two more, extend streak to 11

NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D.-- The sixth-ranked University of Jamestown volleyball team extended its winning streak to 11 matches with a pair of wins Saturday at the United Sports Academy/CSM Labor Day Classic.

Jamestown (11-1) swept Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 25-13, 25-18, and 25-18 Saturday morning, then took care of Presentation (S.D.) College in straight sets, 25-14, 25-22, and 25-20 Saturday afternoon.

The Jimmies return home to host eighth-ranked Northwestern (Iowa) College Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

#6 UJ 3, Rocky Mountain 0

Jamestown started Saturday by outhitting the Battlin' Bears .331 to .108 and made just six errors in the sweep. Anna Holen (SR/LaMoure, N.D.) and Logan Sherman (JR/Marshall, Minn.) both recorded 12 kills for the Jimmies, who also got eight kills from Aleah Zieske (SO/Spicer, Minn.).

UJ trailed 2-1 in the first set and then won seven straight points to build an 8-2 lead. Rocky was able to close the gap to 15-11, but the Jimmies went on a 9-0 run to put the set away. The last seven Jamestown points came on kills, including three by Lexi Olson (SO/Langdon, N.D.).

The Jimmies had a 9-7 lead in set two which gradually turned into a 12-8 edge. Six of the next seven points went Jamestown's way, and the Battlin' Bears would get no closer than six the rest of the way. Down 24-12, RMC went on a six-point run before Kalli Hegerle (SR/West Fargo, N.D.)'s kill put UJ up 2-0 in the match.

Jamestown led 10-9 in the third set, then took the next four to extend their advantage to 14-9. Rocky chipped away and pulled with 15-13, but a 4-0 Jimmie run forced a timeout and changed the momentum. UJ ended the match on a 5-2 run, taking advantage of a pair of RMC attack errors.

Hegerle passed out 27 assists, followed by Paige Oswald (JR/Frazee, Minn.) with nine. Ellie Holen (JR/LaMoure, N.D.) had a team-high 21 digs, and Olson recorded three block assists.

#6 UJ 3, Presentation 0

The Jimmies met up with former conference opponent Presentation College in Saturday's second match and won their 16th straight match against the Saints.

Set one was all Jimmies as 17 of their 25 points came on kills. The team hit .400 in the frame and made only three errors in 35 attempts. Presentation held a brief lead at 2-1 only to have Jamestown reel off six straight to take the lead for good.

PC came back in set two and played UJ close, eventually taking an 11-10 lead. A kill by Aleah Zieske started a run of three straight Jimmie points. After a Saint timeout, the Jamestown rally ended on a kill, but another 3-0 run gave UJ some breathing room. Presentation did not give up, and rallied to tie the set at 20-20. The teams traded points until Jamestown went ahead 23-22. Zieske was responsible for the final two points, the first coming on a kill and the second on a service ace.

The third set was also highly contested as neither team built more than a two-point lead. Down 17-15, Jamestown used a 4-0 run to go in front for good. Two Anna Holen kills and one by Maddie Demars (FR/Forest Lake, Minn.) capped off the victory.

Demars had 10 kills and hit .600 and Anna Holen hit .643 with nine kills. Kalli Hegerle finished with 19 assists and Ellie Holen had 20 digs. Demars and Lexi Olson both had a solo block and a pair of block assists.