SHULLSBURG – It took awhile for Shullsburg to get rolling, but once the Miners did they were hard for Belmont to slow down.

After rallying from behind to win set one, the Lady Miners ran away with sets two and three to sweep the visiting Braves, 3-0, in a Six Rivers West prep volleyball match held at SHS on Thursday, Sept. 5.

Seven Shullsburg hitters combined for 34 kills in the victory led by junior middle hitter Kayla Klotz, who pounded down 15 kills and one block in the Miners’ victory.

“We started a little bit slow, but ended strong. Our team continues to do the little things- they hustle, work hard, communicate and have fun,” said Shullsburg head coach Hannah Pick.

Belmont (1-4-2 overall, 0-3 SRW) bolted out to a 9-4 lead in set one following back-to-back kills by middle hitter Ashley Freeman.

Klotz hit back with five kills and fellow junior Anna Wiegel added three kills to spark a 15-8 run that put the Miners (5-1, 1-1) up 19-17.

Freeman put the Braves back on top at 20-19 with a kill and back-to-back aces, however a missed served opened the door for a Shullsburg comeback. Junior Layla Alt stepped to the line and served up the final five points of set one, getting kills from Klotz and senior Calli Jerry to earn a 25-20 win.

The Miners jumped ahead 7-1 in set two and rolled to a 25-11 decision to build up a 2-0 advantage. Alt picked up where she left off in set one, serving up a 6-0 run to start the match and a 5-0 run to close it out for the hosts.

The teams traded the lead five times early in set three until the Miners broke off on an 18-5 scoring run to get to set and match point. 

Belmont staved off elimination with a kill and a three-point service run by freshman Chloe Crapp. 

Alt finished off the Braves by hammering a kill to secure the sweep for Shullsburg with a 25-15 win. Alt tallied eight kills, 13 digs and two aces in the victory.

Senior setter Reva Spillane distributed 23 assists for the Miners. Jerry added 10 digs in the win.

Senior Lizzy Haag led Belmont with six kills and three aces. Senior Ashley Knebel handed out 13 assists and senior Caitlyn Cushman recorded six digs, while Crapp scored a block for the Braves, who were swept by Cassville, 25-18, 25-23, 25-15, in another SRW match held in Cassville on Monday, Sept. 9.

"I can honestly say that we did not play our best game, we came out not ready to win.  We very much struggle with our communication and therefore make errors due to that," ," said Belmont head coach Genevieve Sprung.  "Our covering for blocks and hits have gotten better, but we still have a lot more season to go and a lot to work on."

Monday night, Belmont dropped a 25–18, 25–23, 25–15 decision at Cassville.

Shullsburg heads to Highland for a key SRW match Thursday and the Miners lwill then participate in the annual Seneca Invitational on Saturday, starting at 9 a.m.

Next up, the Braves face River Ridge in a SRW match in Patch Grove on Thursday, Sept. 12.

Belmont…….  20     11     15
Shullsburg…  25     25     25
Belmont Leaders– Kills: Lizzy Haag 6. Blocks: Chloe Crapp 1. Aces: Haag 3. Assists: Ashley Knebel 13. Digs: Caitlyn Cushman 6.
Shullsburg Leaders– Kills: Kayla Klotz 15, Layla Alt 8. Blocks: Klotz 1. Assists: Reva Spillane 23. Aces: Alt 2. Digs: Alt 13, Calli Jerry 10.
At Shullsburg on Thursday, Sept. 5

Belmont….  18     23     15
Cassville…  25     25     25
Belmont Leaders– Kills: Lizzy Haag 7. Blocks: Rylin Mootz 2. Aces: Taytem Benson 2, Ashley Knebel 2, Mootz 2. Assists: Ashley Knebel 7, Bensen 7. Digs: Caitlyn Cushman 7, Haag 7.
At Cassville on Monday, Sept. 9