The first time the Blue Jays saw Bismarck St. Mary's it was a rapid 3-0 sweep.
Thursday night, it was a little tougher, but the final result was the same.
The Blue Jays overcame a sloppy start to win the final three games and improve to 8-4 in the West Region and 16-9 overall with a 23-25, 27-25, 25-16, 25-13 win over the Saints in Bismarck.
"We came in anticipating a different team. They played hard and played well and we weren't ready," JHS coach Sara Hegerle said. "We were playing poorly defensively, we were sluggish, we weren't talking to each other -- all the things we focus on weren't happening and as a result we lost Game 1."
Things really began to wobble in the second set as the Saints built a 19-11, but the Blue Jays woke up before the wheels fell off and rallied for a 27-25 win. The final two sets were all JHS.
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"We fought hard and when we were able to come back that was a pretty big momentum builder for us," Hegerle said.
Junior middle hitter Siri Jystad was a big reason for the rally. She hammered in 18 kills with just one error.
"When she touched the ball we knew good things would happen," Hegerle said. "She's a new middle (hitter) and she does not especially love that position but I think she realized that she is a middle. She played a great match."
Improved play defensively also spurred the comeback. Addie Eamon had 10 blocks and McKayla Orr dug up 19 balls.
"At the end our defense was phenomenal. We had a bunch of kids digging balls all over the place," Hegerle said.
Katie Ramlo had a team-high 21 assists plus 10 digs and 5 kills. Josie Hegerle had 18 assists, 9 digs and 4 kills. Steph Kropp's 3 aces were team-leading.
The Blue Jays are back in action on Wednesday night when they host Dickinson, currently the No. 2 team in the West. The Jays are sitting in fourth.
Jamestown 3, Bismarck St. Mary's 1
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Jamestown 23 27 25 25
St. Mary 25 25 16 13
Jamestown statistics
Blocks, Addie Eamon 10, Katie Ramlo 5, Josie Hegerle 4. Assists, Ramlo 21, Hegerle 18. Digs, McKayla Orr 19, Ramlo 10, Steph Kropp 9, McKayla Keller 9, Hegerle 9. Aces, Kropp 3, Orr 2. Kills, Siri Jystad 18, Eamon 9, Ramlo 7.
-- Dave Selvig
