LHS volleyball drops opener to Blue Valley Northwest

LHS senior #13 Caroline Dykes gets low for a dig as LHS hosted Blue Valley Northwest on Tuesday Sept 1, 2015 at LHS.

It took one set for Lawrence High’s volleyball players to get comfortable on the court against Blue Valley Northwest in their season opener on Tuesday at LHS.

Once they settled in, the Lions proved they can compete with one of the top teams in the state. The Lions lost in a five-set thriller (25-13, 18-25, 25-13, 22-25, 15-9), but gained plenty of confidence.

LHS trailed, 9-8, in the fifth set after senior outside hitter Caroline Dykes delivered one of her team-high nine kills. The Huskies (ranked No. 5 in Class 6A) followed by ripping off five straight points for the eventual victory, taking advantage of Lawrence’s attacking errors.

“We were really hyped,” Dykes said. “We really wanted to win. But (with) some of our errors, we fell short. They beat us on our errors — not just beat us. …We can always fix what we do.”

After losing big in the first set, the Lions were a different team. In the second set, LHS never trailed and had seven different girls earn kills after setters Kyleigh Severa and Laurel Bird put their teammates in prime position for attacks.

After BV Northwest closed within 20-17 near the end of the second set, freshman E’lease Stafford, junior Alexia Anglin and sophomore Olivia Morgan answered with kills. Dykes added an ace and Stafford combined with senior Nesreen Iskandrani for a set-winning block.

“The first set … we were a little bit nervous,” said Severa, who had four kills, 10 assists and two digs. “You could tell it was our first game as a team and it was our first home game as well. Second game we really settled down, relaxed and started playing. I think that’s when things started to get flowing.”

The Huskies raced out to a big lead in the third set for another big victory, but again, the Lions found a way to fight back.

In the fourth set, trailing 22-21 after a BV Northwest ace, Stafford responded with a kill at the net, Dykes drilled two kills past outstretched arms and senior defensive specialist Nicole Owens dropped in a kill from the back row. Dykes’ second kill won the set and sparked a loud celebration from the crowd and student section.

“First set, we were kind of like struggling within our heads mentally,” said Dykes, who had five kills and an ace in the fourth set. “After we got the hang of what we were doing and where we were on the court, we really picked it up toward the end. We got the feel for what we needed to do. We all did our own job and it came out well.”

The Lions adjusted to BV Northwest’s attacks throughout the match, diving for digs and staying aware of drop shots. Owens led the Lions with six digs while senior libero Nicolasa Kenney added five digs.

“At the (LHS fall sports) jamboree, we were having a hard time coming together on the court and playing with cohesion,” Dykes said. “But that’s really improved a lot.”

Even in defeat, the Lions are happy with their start to the season.

“I’m thrilled with how they played,” LHS coach Stephanie Magnuson said. “They played to win. They played aggressive. They played focused. I’m so proud of them — for the first night out — to play the way that they did. Very proud.”