HURON - Slow starts hampered No. 6 Lyman in a three-set loss to No. 3 Chester Area in the opening round of the Class B state high school volleyball tournament Thursday at the Huron Arena in Huron.
The set scores were 25-21, 25-18, 25-17.
The Raiders fell behind 6-0 in the opening set as they worked through some nerves, according to first-year Lyman head coach Jill Whalen.
“We had to work through some things in that opening set, but the team was able to refocus after that,” Whalen said.
The Raiders did refocus and took the next five points, but Lyman eventually fell 25-21.
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“They slowed down a bit and started playing their game, which you need to do against a good team like Chester,” Whalen said about her team’s effort to come back in the first set.
The beginning of the second set was much the same, as the Raiders trailed 11-5. Lyman rallied again but came up short.
“I think that was just some good mental focus by our players to come out, settle in and make plays,” Chester coach Jean Benson said.
The third set was a different story, as the Raiders took a lead for the first time in the match and held an 8-7 advantage as the teams battled back and forth. However, with the match tied at 14, Chester scored 11 of the last 14 points to take the set and the match.
Senior middle hitter Jessica Welter, who finished with nine kills, led the Raiders.
“It was exciting for us tonight and after the first few points we settled down a bit,” Welter said.
Senior Anna Flitner and freshman Brooklyn Halverson each finished with seven kills for the Raiders. Flitner also had 14 digs.
Sara Herman led the Lyman defense with 20 digs, while Hanna Thiry and Bailey Almond had 11 and 10 assists, respectively.
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“Players are going to have on and off nights, but it was great to see some of our girls step up,” Whalen said.
Chester’s Rachel Reiff finished with a match-high 14 kills, while Logan Miller added 10 kills in the win.
Lyman moves to the consolation bracket to play No. 7 Kimball/White Lake, which fell to No. 2 Arlington in three sets Thursday. The match is scheduled to start at 1:45 p.m. today in Huron.
“We have to relax and refocus to get ready for tomorrow,” Whalen said. “We still have a chance to win the consolation title.”
The Flyers move into the state semifinals to play No. 2 Arlington at 7:45 p.m. today in Huron.
