HUXLEY — Woodward-Granger finished 2-2 at Saturday’s Ballard Invitational, but the Hawks had more than enough reason to return home feeling good about themselves, as the team played well throughout and picked up a win over a ranked Class 4A team along the way.
W-G (6-13) picked up 2-0 wins over 4A No. 12 Pella (21-17, 21-19) and Grandview Christian (21-17, 21-16) while falling to a good North Polk team 21-8 and 21-9 and to 5A Johnston, 21-18 and 21-15.
Elly Polich led the attack with 25 total kills in the four matches, with Natalie Weaver adding 16 kills. Brayten Ashman had eight kills and Grace Deputy six, with Audrey Simmons have five kills and Darby Nixon and Lindsey Mescher two each. Simmons provided 34 assists, Polich 16, Nixon four, Weaver three and Mescher one.
Nixon was the team leader in digs with 39, with Polich adding 32, Weaver 22, and Simmons 20. Faith Keuhl tallied 10 digs, Ashman five, Mescher four, Samantha Volz three and Deputy one, with Deputy blocking two attempted kills and Weaver one.
W-G did not have their best serving of the season, finishing with a success rate of 84 percent on 112-of-133 attempts with 10 total aces.
Weaver was 21-of-27 with three aces and Ashman 28-of-30 with one ace. Simmons was 18-21-1 behind the line, Nixon 16-18-1, and both Keuhl and Polich 14-16-2. Volz was 1-of-1 and Emily Trewet 0-for-1.
W-G will travel to Earlham tonight, then host Ogden Sept. 29.
