A 12-match winning streak came to an end for the Heritage Hawks in the championship match of the Lincoln Prairie Conference volleyball tournament on Thursday (Oct. 7) at Villa Grove.

For the second time this season, Heritage suffered a three-set loss to Toledo Cumberland. The title match result was 21-25, 25-22, 25-15.

After winning the opening set, the Hawks carved a 17-14 second-game lead, but couldn’t finish it off.

“Tonight was very up and down,” Heritage coach Ryan Fitzgerald said. “We executed our game plan to take a 25-21, 17-14 lead.

“I give a lot of credit to Cumberland. They are very disciplined and well-coached. They made good adjustments in the latter part of the second and third (sets). I just couldn’t get my girls to make adjustments like them and that was the biggest difference in the match.”

Torie Rothermel had nine kills and five digs for the Hawks. Bryn Wyant finished with five kills.

Heritage (18-7-1) returns to action on Tuesday (Oct. 12) at Blue Ridge.

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Villa Grove split its two matches on Monday (Oct. 4) in the Lincoln Prairie Conference volleyball tournament.

The Blue Devils opened the tournament with a 25-17, 25-27, 25-23 conquest over Cerro Gordo/Bement.

Vanessa Wright slammed 11 kills. Ava Vollmer chipped in with five kills and Jobella Crafton ended with four kills.

Decatur Lutheran recorded a 25-12, 25-19 win in the quarterfinals. Crafton totaled three kills and Vollmer finished with two kills.

On Tuesday (Oct. 5), in consolation bracket play, Okaw Valley topped the Blue Devils 25-7, 26-24, eliminating Villa Grove from the tournament. Wright had a team-high eight kills.

Villa Grove is 5-14 overall.

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Third-seeded Heritage extended its winning streak to 12 matches on Tuesday (Oct. 5), overpowering second-seeded Blue Ridge 25-14, 25-15 in the semifinals of the Lincoln Prairie Conference volleyball tournament at Villa Grove.

Bri Struck socked 18 kills and added five digs. Kiley Knoll contributed eight digs and two service aces. Torie Rothermel chipped in with four kills and one block.

Heritage (18-6-1) takes on fourth-seeded Toledo Cumberland in the championship match on Thursday (Oct. 7) at 7 p.m. at Villa Grove.

On Monday (Oct 4), in the quarterfinals, Struck tied her school record for kills in a match for the second time in 11 days, swatting 22 in a match at Broadlands.

The Hawks needed three sets to turn back Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond for the third time in 10 days, 25-19, 20-25, 26-24.

Knoll hammered nine kills and Rothermel landed four kills against AL/AH.

Knoll posted eight digs, Struck added seven digs and Rothermel collected six blocks.

Knoll totaled three blocks and Struck contributed two blocks. Knoll also served two aces.

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Vanessa Wright recorded six kills for Villa Grove on Thursday (Sept. 30) in a volleyball loss at home to Toledo Cumberland, 25-14, 25-19.

Jobella Crafton delivered three kills. Molly Little ended with two kills and two service aces.

Villa Grove (4-11) returns to action on Monday (Oct. 4) in the Lincoln Prairie Conference Tournament, which it is hosting.

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The Blue Devils placed second in the Saturday (Oct. 2) girls’ Lincoln Prairie Conference cross-country meet at Arthur.

Argenta-Oreana won the team crown with 27 points. Villa Grove was next with 41 points.

Junior Emma Buesing was the fifth-place finisher, completing the 3-mile course in 22 minutes, 29.87 seconds.

Rounding out the team’s lineup were: Scarlett Howard (14^th in 24:20.12), Madison Logan (15^th in 24:21.53), Kyleigh Price (19^th in 26:02.25) and Hailey Stutz (21^st in 26:51.38).

Villa Grove returns to action on Tuesday (Oct. 5) at Sullivan.

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Freshman Kurt Zimmerman was the lone top-10 placer for the Villa Grove boys’ cross-country team on Saturday (Oct. 2) in the Lincoln Prairie Conference meet in Arthur.

Zimmerman ran to a seventh-place finish with a 3-mile time of 17 minutes, 42.35 seconds.

Other teammates who competed at conference were: Chase White (24^th in 19:51.04), Caleb Wiessing (35^th in 21:37.37), Austin Zoch (43^rd in 23:42.27) and Blake Davis (44^th in 23:52.16).

Arthur-Lovington/Atwood Hammond cruised to the team title with a score of 20 points. Runner-up Heritage had 59 points. Fourth-place Villa Grove had 104 points.

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Sophomore Zach Ruwe placed sixth and Heritage was the runner-up on Saturday (Oct. 2) in the boys’ Lincoln Prairie Conference cross-country meet in Arthur.

Ruwe’s 3-mile time was 17 minutes, 7.29 seconds. He ended sixth in a 46-runner field.

Heritage’s other participants were: Robert Holloman (13^th in 18:40.18), Hunter Montgomery (15^th in 18:55.59), Rowan Denmark-Collins (16^th in 19:12.65), Lukas Carey (23^rd in 19:40.65) and Aidan Ashbrook (25^th in 19:54.28).

Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond coasted to the team title with a score of 20 points. Heritage had 59 points. Five schools entered full teams.

The Hawks return to action on Tuesday (Oct. 5) in a four-school meet at Paris.

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Two juniors were recognized on the postseason Lincoln Prairie Conference all-league team.

Jake Eversole was a member of the six-player first team and Logan Nohren was chosen for the six-player second team.

Of the 12 total players selected to the first or second teams, five were juniors.

Eversole led the 21-11 Blue Devils with a 17.0 scoring average. He was second on the team with 75 assists.

Nohren averaged 13.7 points per game and led VG/H with a 9.8 rebounding average. Nohren ended with 24 assists.

Both Eversole and Nohren had two games where they eclipsed the 30-point mark in a game.

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BY FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com

Senior Aliya Holloman scored 20 of her season-high 33 points in the opening quarter Thursday night as the Blue Devils blitzed Argenta-Oreana 80-34 on Senior Night at Villa Grove.

Villa Grove/Heritage led 37-0 after the opening eight minutes.

The team’s other senior, Jordyn Ray, scored nine points in her final home game.

Kyleigh Block tallied 16 points and Samantha Campbell added 10 for the Blue Devils, who enter the postseason with a six-game winning streak.

A-O was limited to three first-half field goals.

VG/H ended 8-1 in Lincoln Prairie Conference games, second only to Tri-County, which was 9-0.

The Blue Devils (23-5) return to action on Tuesday in the St.  Joseph-Ogden Class 2A regional. VG/H opens at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11 against the winner of a Monday game between Schlarman Academy and Georgetown-Ridge Farm.

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Aliya Holloman led the Blue Devils in scoring for the 20th time this season on Tuesday, firing in a team-high 26 points in a 65-20 triumph over Judah Christian in Champaign.

Holloman scored 12 points in the first quarter as VG/H opened up a 22-4 lead.

The Blue Devils allowed Judah just two second-half field goals.

Kyleigh Block scored 11 points, Vanessa Wright had 10 points and Samantha Campbell ended with nine points.

On Monday, Holloman tallied 29 points in a 63-33 romp at home over Toledo Cumberland.

Block contributed 15 points and Campbell totaled eight.

VG/H vaulted into an 18-7 lead after one quarter. Holloman netted 11 points in the opening frame and Block had five.

The Blue Devils (23-5) return to action tonight in their Senior Night home finale against Argenta-Oreana. VG/H is 8-1 in Lincoln Prairie Conference action.

Holloman and Jordyn Ray are the seniors who will be honored before their final home game.

The team has five consecutive wins and victories in seven of its last eight contests.

VG/H will play next week in the St.  Joseph-Ogden Class 2A regional. VG/H opens at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11 against the winner of a Monday game between Schlarman Academy and Georgetown-Ridge Farm.

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