Colton finishes volleyball season

COLTON — The Colton Wildcats went 1-2 last week to end the regular season of volleyball action.

The Wildcats defeated the Tekoa-Rosalia Timberwolves, 3-2, in a five-set battle on Monday, Oct. 14. Colton then fell to the St. John-Endicott/LaCrosse Eagles (SJEL), 3-1, on Tuesday, Oct. 15, and dropped their final match to the Garfield-Palouse (Gar-Pal) Vikings, 3-0, on Thursday, Oct. 17.

Against the Timberwolves, extra points had to decide the first set. Colton came away with the 26-24 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

The Timberwolves then took the next two sets, winning 25-16 in each to lead the match against Colton, 2-1. The Wildcats won set four, 25-20, to force a deciding fifth set.

In the end, Colton won set five, 15-10, to win the match, 3-2.

Senior outside hitter Holly Heitstuman led the Wildcats with 18 digs and 10 kills. Sophomore middle Mere Bell had four aces and two blocks. Freshman middle blocker Lola Walsborn also had two blocks and eighth grader Adara Liguori had 17 assists in the match.

For the match against SJEL, the Wildcats took set three, but ultimately fell to the Eagles, 3-1. Set scores were 25-20, 25-19, 23-15 and 25-15.

Set one began with an ace by the Eagles, but Colton quickly recovered with a kill by Bell. Each team traded leads and tied the set six times before the score became 16-16.

SJEL then went on a heater, taking the next six points before Colton answered with a run of four points. The Eagles got the edge and won the set, 25-20.

Set two started as a serving frenzy with aces by Colton’s Heitstuman, Bell and junior Leah Musson, as well as SJEL’s Sophie Anderson and Kate Hergert. With the set tied at 17-17, the Eagles went on another late-set run and scored the next eight points to Colton’s two, winning the set, 25-19.

In set three, the Eagles took an early 6-1 lead. Not giving up without a fight, Colfax gained points back on an ace by Heitstuman, and kills by Musson and Walsborn.

The set was tied at 17-17 again, and SJEL began to go on their run, gaining the next three points. But this time the Colton defense stopped them and a front-line block kill by senior Clair Moehrle and Walsborn tied the set, 20-20.

The Wildcats found their footing and a kill by Heitstuman, assisted by Bell finished the set with Colton winning, 25-23.

Set four began with SJEL taking an early 8-2 lead, but this time the Wildcats couldn’t stage a comeback. The Eagles steadily kept their lead, winning the set, 25-15, and the match, 3-1.

Heitstuman led the Wildcats with 15 digs and five kills, with Bell getting five aces, Liguori notching eight assists and Moehrle adding two blocks.

The Wildcats then fell to the Garfield-Palouse Vikings, 3-0, in their final match of the regular season. Set scores were 25-16, 26-19 and 25-15.

Moehrle led the Wildcats with 10 digs and three blocks, Heitstuman had three aces and four kills, Walsborn also had four kills and Liguori added 10 assists.