Blue Jays take eighth at Minnesota tourney

The Jamestown High School volleyball team suffered their first three losses of the year on Saturday.

But that didn’t exactly put a damper on what the Blue Jays accomplished.

Jamestown finished in eighth place at the prestigious Southwest Minnesota Challenge, which concluded on Saturday in Marshall, Minn. The Blue Jays won twice on Friday to get into the championship bracket, but the quality of competition humbled Jamestown.

“The teams we played — four of the five are (ranked) in the top 10 in their class in Minnesota,” Jamestown coach Sara Hegerle said. “That’s what we went there for. We didn’t worry about our win-loss record.

“I thought we competed hard against the teams that we played.”

Jamestown started with powerhouse Chaska, Minn., which downed the Blue Jays 25-21 and 25-11. The Jays followed by going after host Marshall and stuck with it in the second game, though they dropped both 25-14 and 25-21.

But the Jays didn’t go away quietly, fighting Minneota, Minn., to a three-game battle that ended with Jamestown’s third loss of the day. Jamestown won 31-29 in the first game, but fell 25-19, 15-10 from there.

Addie Eamon led Jamestown in kills with 38 over the weekend, while Siri Jystad had 29 and Jenna Stilwell added 17. Josie Hegerle and Rebekah Horgan had 60 and 35 assists, respectively, and Julina Niemeier had a team-high six aces. Eamon had 11 blocks, and all-state libero McKayla Orr had a team-high 72 digs.

The Blue Jays lost outside hitter Billie Buchanan to injury on Friday, and Orr was asked to fill her spot for the rest of the weekend. Sara Hegerle said Buchanan’s status was day to day.

Jamestown (10-3) hosts Bismarck Century on Tuesday and goes to Dickinson on Thursday in a pair of West Region matches.

Chaska, Minn., def. Jamestown 25-21, 25-11

Marshall, Minn., def. Jamestown 25-14, 25-21

Minneota, Minn., def. Jamestown 29-31, 25-19, 15-10

Jamestown cumulative statistics

Kills, Addie Eamon 38, Siri Jystad 29, Jenna Stilwell 17. Assists, Josie Hegerle 60, Rebekah Horgan 35. Aces, Julina Niemeier 6, Hegerle 5, Jystad 5. Blocks, Eamon 11, Jystad 6, Hegerle 5. Digs, McKayla Orr 72, Niemeier 55, Hegerle 38.

Sun sports writer Chris Aarhus can be reached at (701) 952-8462 or by email at caarhus@jamestownsun.com

Tags: sports, jays, volleyball