Ste. Gen Opens With Two Victories

By ERIC X. VICCARO

EVICCARO@STEGENHERALD.COM

The Ste. Genevieve High School volleyball team learned a valuable lesson in its three-set victory over Festus on Sept. 1 at Peggy J. Johnson Gymnasium.

“We came out strong and executed our game plan,” said first-year Ste. Genevieve head coach Carla Basler. “But, in the second set we got complacent.”

The Dragons got back on track in the third set, finishing off Festus by scores of 25-16, 13-25, 25-17.

Coupled with a straight-set victory over Jefferson on Thursday by scores of 25-18, 25-19, the Dragons have opened the 2020 season at 2-0.

“We hustled more and focused better (in the third set vs. Festus),” Basler added.

This was a brilliant start for a Ste. Genevieve (2-0) team that has loftier goals than the .500 finish it had a season ago.

Ste. Genevieve d. Festus in 3

Ste. Genevieve and Festus were neck and neck in the third set; but, the Dragons pulled away late.

Festus played its best in the second set when Kinsey Benock caught fire on the front row, with one successful hit after another. Benock later suffered an unspecified injury.

Meanwhile, Ste. Genevieve also generated some strong play at the net as Abby Moore pounded down eight kills to go with a .250 hitting efficiency. Dru Koetting was the Dragons’ most productive hitter (.375 on 16 swings with seven kills). B

Marysa Flieg and Tessa Grass also had seven kills, and Grass and Moore teamed up on an ace block.

Koetting also served up five of the Dragons’ seven aces, and Ste. Genevieve had just four misses the entire match.

Dynamic setter Brittney Kreitler racked up 28 assists. Teammate Maci Reynolds paced the defense with 13 of the Dragons’ 36 digs (36.1 percent of them).

Ste. Genevieve d. Jefferson in 2

Basler said blocking and more efficient hitting propelled Ste. Genevieve to what proved to be a relatively easy victory over Jefferson this past Thursday.

Moore, Flieg, Koetting and Grass all had one ace block assist each. Meanwhile, Flieg powered the Dragons at the net with nine kills and scorching .600 hitting efficiency. Koetting added five kills and Grass four.

Once again, Reynolds powered the defense with eight digs. Elizabeth Basler, Arie Taylor and Kreitler also helped out in this area with six digs each.

Kreitler finished the match with 20 assists. The Dragons didn’t commit a single serve reception error. And Ste. Genevieve registered a .219 hitting efficiency.