The Maroa-Forsyth Trojans welcomed the Heyworth Hornets to their home court for varsity volleyball action, but Heyworth put together a strong performance to leave Maroa with a straight-set victory.
The Hornets captured the opening set 25-16 before following with a 25-17 win in Set 2 to complete the 2-0 sweep.
Heyworth established an advantage during the first set and was able to maintain enough separation to keep Maroa-Forsyth from putting together the type of run needed to close the gap. The Trojans continued to battle, but the Hornets remained composed down the stretch and closed out the opener by nine points.
Maroa-Forsyth looked to respond in the second set and continued working through a varsity rotation featuring Sydney Pottala, Makenna Doolin, McKenna Munjoy, Hannah Gruenewald, Claira Timmons, Jacy Ravenscraft, Tulsi Dalu, Addie Woodward, Lila Jarosz, Adelyn West, Ashlen Grayned and A’Lyanna Rouser.
The Trojans were able to improve upon their first-set performance, but Heyworth once again found a way to create separation. The Hornets held off Maroa-Forsyth’s attempts to extend the match and finished the night with a 25-17 victory in the second set.
For Heyworth, the road victory came from a varsity group that features an experienced senior class including Ryleigh Johnson, Natalie Kopp, Raegan Klawitter, Sarah Verberg, Bailee Marlett, Ashlyn Eldredge, Grace Streenz and Peyton Still. That experience helped the Hornets remain steady throughout both sets and finish the match without allowing Maroa-Forsyth to force a deciding third.
Despite the loss, Maroa-Forsyth continued competing through both sets in front of its home crowd. Head coach Rachel Petersen’s Trojans will look to use the match as an opportunity to make adjustments and build consistency moving forward.
Heyworth, meanwhile, walked away with a quality road victory after controlling enough of the key stretches in both sets to secure the sweep.
FINAL: Heyworth def. Maroa-Forsyth, 2-0
Set 1: Heyworth 25, Maroa-Forsyth 16
Set 2: Heyworth 25, Maroa-Forsyth 17
