To say new head coach Heather Seiden was ecstatic after Saturday’s St. Edmond volleyball invitational would be an understatement.
In his first season coaching the Gaels program, Seaden led the team to a 4-1 record and a runner-up finish to No. 8-ranked Aplington-Parkersburg (Class 2A). The Falcons won the championship game in the second round, 21-10, 21-9.
Elsewhere, St. Edmond (4-1 overall) has been on a roll, defeating Southeast Valley in three games and sweeping Bishop Garrigan, Webster City and Pocahontas Area.
“I’m very proud of the girls.” Said Seeden: “Probably what parents and fans have noticed and commented on the most is the energy and positivity of our team. That was the first thing I talked to them about and it was on full display Saturday.”
“Everybody played until the end. I can’t say enough good things about our bench guys. They were the seventh man on the court. The fans and I are grateful to them.”
The invitation was one of the few opportunities St Edmund’s will have to play a home game this season – the team will host just four games remaining this year – and the Gaels made the most of the opportunity, delighting the crowd with a strong performance.
Senior Mariah Myers, who has committed to play softball at the University of Iowa, had a team-high 37 points on the day. Junior Ava Anderberg added 18 points, fellow senior Faith Sher-Brown had 15, senior Lauren Gibb had 11 and fellow 12th-grader Claire O’Connor had 10. O’Connor also had 68 assists and 19 digs.
Sasha Hess, another senior returning to the starting lineup, had 57 digs. Myers had 33, Shar-Brown had 27 and senior Ava Andrew had 18. Sophomores Chloe Palmer and Anderberg each had two blocks.
“There were definitely some areas that needed improvement.” Said Seeden: “We’re going to be focusing a lot on blocking in practice this week, and that was on display in the game against Aplington-Parkersburg. They’re a great team and they deserve their ranking, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they move up in 2A.”
“We served well and came from behind to beat Southeast Valley, then beat Pocahontas Area in two sets after taking a lead late in the second set. We talked a lot going into the tournament about coming out strong and coming out on top.”
As a team, the Gaels served 91 percent with 21 aces, with O’Connor leading the way with nearly 97 percent and Gibb at 95 percent. Shar-Brown had seven aces, Andrew had five and Hess, Gibb and Myers added three aces each.
“We strive to be of service to all practices.” Seeden said. “We’re talking about a balance between aces and errors.”
Webster City improved to 3-2 overall with wins over Galligan, Pocahontas Area and Southeast Valley.
The Indians improved to 2-3 with wins over Southeast Valley and Bishop Galligan, while the Jaguars improved to 1-4 with a win over the Golden Bears.
The Gaels next play is at Storm Lake on Tuesday before their North Central Conference opener at Hampton-Dumont/CAL on Thursday night.
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