Volleyball: Dixon sets tone from start, rolls past North Boone

DIXON – Setting the tone from the start at the service line, Dixon rode that momentum the rest of the way Tuesday night at Lancaster Gym.

The Duchesses never trailed in their Big Northern Conference match against North Boone, and used extended runs in both sets to roll to a 25-6, 25-13 win.

[ Photos from Dixon vs. North Boone volleyball ]

“We had a lot of energy before the game, and everybody was in a really good mood. We just knew that we had to come out here and play up to our level,” senior hitter Makenzie Toms said.

Dixon (9-4, 2-0 BNC) led 6-0 in both sets, and the closest the Vikings (2-10, 0-2) got was within 9-7 after a surge early in the second set.

Emma Olson reeled off six straight service points to start the match, with Morgan Hargrave and Mady Tichler each slamming two kills. Tichler added a block, and Olson ended the run with an ace. A block by Sophia Frykman and a kill by Lilianne Bethards brought North Boone within 12-6, but Dixon had the answer.

Leah Carlson and Tichler ripped kills, Morgan Hargrave stuffed a block on an overpass, and Carlson added a tip kill and a block to stretch the lead to 17-6 and kick off a 12-point service run for Toms. Toms reeled off three straight aces, Carlson and Tichler had kills around their combo block, and Toms served a fourth ace before Carlson closed out the set with a kill.

“I just focus on getting the ball in [bounds], and not try to do anything crazy, just being smart with my serves,” Toms said. “Obviously you have to celebrate the good ones, and I just kept serving smart.”

There was no letdown in the second set. Carlson had three aces and Izzy Queckboerner slammed a kill as Dixon again led 6-0. An ace and a kill on a free ball by Savannah Cunningham got the Vikings within 9-7, but the Duchesses took control for good after Carlson’s kill made it 13-8.

Meredith Foulker smacked a kill, then Hargrave hit a roll shot for another kill as Olson stepped back to the service line. Another Hargrave kill for a sideout made it 16-10, then Carlson served three aces in a four-point span to stretch the lead to 21-10. A Hargrave kill and ace sandwiched between a pair of Queckboerner kills finished off the victory.

“We wanted to be smart with our shots and just get it over the net and in [bounds]. That was our main goal. We did a good job with that tonight,” Carlson said. “Getting the early lead, it lets us play loose, but also makes us aware that we still have how many more points that we still have to score, so we know we’ve got to stay focused and build on the lead.

“We’ve had a really good start to the season, and the energy was so good again tonight. Every time that we come in here and play well at home, it gets better. It’s just amazing.”

Carlson stuffed the stat sheet with six kills, six assists, 12 points, seven aces, four digs and two blocks, and Hargrave had five kills, five digs, two aces and an assist. Tichler finished with six kills, three blocks and an assist, Toms served 12 points and four aces to go with five digs, and Olson added seven points, five digs and an ace.

Presley Lappin dished eight assists, Caroline Childers chipped in two assists and three digs, and Queckboerner finished with three kills and a dig. Yui Santos led the back row with eight digs, Solis Thompson added two digs, and Foulker finished with a kill as 13 different Duchesses played in the match.

“It was really fun to have everybody out there, because with our conference, we don’t have a lot of games where we can get everybody in,” Toms said. “So to be able to see some of the girls that don’t always start, it’s really cool. It’s a lot of pressure, too, when you don’t play a lot and you get thrown in there, but I think everybody executed really well.”

Cunningham had three kills and three points, Bethards and Avarie Torres each had a pair of kills, and Audrey Pearce dished four assists to lead North Boone. Frykman stuffed a block, and Daisy Persson served an ace.

“Dixon is a great, tough team, and we’re excited to see more competition like this. We’ve had a very tough time in our conference – we have not had a conference win in over five years – and it’s just a very tough conference to battle back. So we’re very excited for this year because I feel like this group is special,” North Boone coach Carley Patmythes said. “Serve receive is something that we’re working on right now, and serve receive is half the battle. I think that once we can get our hands on a ball, we have a pretty great offense. It’s just getting our defense where we need to get it and going from there.”