By FRED KRONER
fred@sjodaily.com
For the second time in three years, the St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team reached the 30-win mark for the season.
But the Spartans fell short on Wednesday in another quest; they were also seeking a sectional title for the second time in three years.
St. Thomas More upended SJ-O 25-22, 25-13 in Wednesday’s Class 2A sectional championship match at Bismarck-Henning High School, preventing the Spartans from their second Elite Eight appearance since 2016.
STM (36-4) avenged a regular-season three-set loss to SJ-O and moved into Friday’s super-sectional at Watseka against Seneca (31-5-1).
The Spartans finish with a 30-4 record, one win shy of the school standard set by the 2016 state runner-up squad.
SJ-O hit the 30-win mark in Monday’s sweep over Fieldcrest, 25-12, 25-21.
Bree Trimble had 13 digs and two aces for the Spartans in the sectional semifinal match.
Rylee Walsh had 16 assists and seven digs.
Supplying the offensive heroics were Emory Ericksen (seven kills), Katelyn Berry (six kills) and Kennedi Burnett (six kills).
Emily Bigger contributed six assists and two aces.
Fieldcrest ended its season with a 27-9 record.
