Sioux County opens with four-set win

Sioux County’s Britney Klein digs up the ball against Creek Valley Friday. Photo by Kerri Rempp

The Sioux County Warriors opened their season with a win at home over the Creek Valley Storm Friday.

The Warrior ladies earned a come-back four-set win 26-28, 26-24, 25-20 and 25-17. The teams split the two opening sets, both of which extended to include extra points before they could close them out. Creek Valley led early in the first before Sioux County took a 4-3 lead. The Warriors never led by more than two, and the Storm edged ahead 12-11 after tying the contest five times. Sioux County battled back and tied the Storm three times before taking a 17-16 lead. They traded the lead five more times in the final points and were tied six additional times before the Storm took the set 28-26.

The Storm carried the momentum into the second set, leading nearly the entire contest, including by a margin of five mid-way through the set. Down 12-7, the Warriors rallied behind a block by Kaylee Juhke and a kill by Becca Reece, along with a string of errors by the Storm to knot the game at 16. Back-to-back kills by Sierra Eastman kept them in the game and tied the score at 19. The final stretch was highlighted by a block by Tamika and Sierra Eastman, and two kills by Tamika Eastman on the Warrior side. Sioux County won the set 26-24 on a Storm attacking error.

The Warriors led the entirety of the third set, to go ahead 2-1 on the 25-20 outcome. Sioux County won the match on a Storm blocking error against a Tamika Eastman kill. The Warriors took the win with a 25-17 fourth set. The Storm picked up the first point on an ace serve, but Sioux County went ahead 3-1 on a Storm serving error and a kill and a block by Tamika Eastman and never looked back.

The Warriors had 31 kills on the night, led by the Eastman sisters with eight apiece, Juhnke with six and Becca Reece with five. They put down nine ace serves, including four by Tamika Eastman, and six blocks.