Walley has 11 kills, 15 serves received, helps Rochester close out Northwestern

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

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Aubrey WIlson Logyn Honkomp

Makayla Walley had 11 kills, including kills on two of the final four points as the Rochester volleyball team swept Northwestern 25-21, 26-24, 25-23 at the RHS gym Sept. 24.

Brailyn Hunter added eight kills, and Kinley McKee, Sylvia McCall and Amara Wieringa had six each.

Logyn Honkomp had 15 digs and 13 serves received. Emma Mathias had 12 digs and eight serves received. Aubrey Wilson had 12 digs to go with 32 assists.

Walley also had 15 serves received.

Rochester needed seven set points before putting away the first set and squandered a 23-16 lead in the second set. 

But trailing 21-23 in the third set, Walley started the match-closing burst with a roll shot from the left side that landed just in front of the back row. Then came a diving dig from Wieringa, which led to a diving half-dig, half-set from Honkomp. Ava Schultz then attacked long for Northwestern.

It was 23-23.

A miss from Northwestern’s Seri Candelaria gave Rochester a match point.

And an overpass from Northwestern on match point led to a Walley putaway to end the match.

“The mental side of the game,” Rochester coach Laneia Strasser said when comparing this match to a three-set loss at Maconaquah two days earlier. “They played together. They battled back after their mistakes. They communicated more. Because you still had a little bit of injury going on, so they had to fight through that, but the mental side of it, they played much better.”

The ending came a set after a harrowing, but victorious, second set. Rochester built a 19-11 lead and still led by seven when Northwestern scored seven straight points, eventually tying it on a Candelaria kill.

But Nahla Smith served into the net, ending a service residency and giving Rochester a set point. 

Candelaria answered with a kill off the Rochester block to make it 24-24.

Then came a marathon point that included three Mathias digs and ended with Hunter going crosscourt from the outside and sneaking it inside the right sideline.

A Northwestern double hit on set point gave Rochester a 2-0 lead.

Rochester jumped out to an 11-5 lead in the first set. The start included a tip to the middle from freshman McKee and back-to-back kills from junior McCall.

McCall said Rilyn Strasser and Mathias hyped the team with their dancing.

“I think we played more as a team, and I think we were more excited about it,” McCall said when asked to compare this match to Maconaquah. “We never gave up, I don’t think. … We just brought the hype tonight.”

Asked what her role on the team is, McCall said “encouraging people.”

“Front row,” McCall said. “Just hit the ball. Block the ball. Protect the back row.”

Northwestern would hang within 17-14 before Rochester scored six straight points. Wieringa had two kills, McKee had a kill, and Wilson capped the run with a flying tip from the right pin to make it 23-14.

Northwestern would go on their own 6-0 run thanks to three aces from Eliana Carlson, but Hunter would clinch the set with a kill.

Though Hunter often had the most important attacks, the offense seemed to be spread around.

“I think (assistant coach) Chase (Brown) keeps track of unofficial stats on the sidelines, and everybody was pretty neck and neck as far as kills,” coach Strasser said. “Like a lot of games, one girl has a huge amount, and the others just have a few. So it was pretty spread out tonight. I think they kind of are being their own worst critics.”

Meanwhile, Honkomp anchors the back row from her libero spot.

“Logyn had a good night,” coach Strasser said. “She struggled a little bit the other night against Maconaquah. I think every girl had a little bit of a if-we-could-go-back-and-redo-that-game-we-could. And you know, we might get the chance at sectionals. But Logyn played great tonight.”

Coach Strasser said afterwards that junior middle hitter Maddie Bailon has a “for sure” torn ACL and meniscus suffered at Triton Aug. 24. Walley managed despite an ankle injury. Adalyn Gonzalez was out with a concussion.

Rochester def. Northwestern, 25-21, 26-24, 25-23

ROCHESTER STATS

Makayla Walley – 11 kills, 1 ace, 1 block, 7 digs, 2 assists, 13 serves received; Aubrey Wilson – 4 kills, 12 digs, 32 assists; Kinley McKee – 6 kills, 1 block, 2 digs; Sylvia McCall – 6 kills, 2 digs; Brailyn Hunter – 8 kills, 1 ace, 8 digs, 1 assist, 2 serves received; Amara Wieringa – 6 kills, 1 ace, 1 block, 4 digs; Logyn Honkomp – 1 ace, 15 digs, 1 assist, 13 serves received; Emma Mathias – 12 digs, 1 assist, 8 serves received; Lyla Bowers – 1 dig, 4 serves received; Rilyn Strasser – 7 digs, 4 serves received; KayLea McCarty – 1 dig; Jenna Seuferer – 1 dig