SOUTH WAYNE – Black Hawk had to put in a little overtime to get the job done against Barneveld on Thursday night, but when it was all said and done the Lady Warriors had secured sole possession of second-place in the Six Rivers East volleyball standings.
    Sisters Bailey and Hannah Butler combined for 35 kills to lead Black Hawk over the visiting Golden Eagles, 3-1, on Senior Night and Pack the Gym Night at BHHS on Thursday, Oct. 5.
    Black Hawk (15-5-1overall) improved to 9-2 in the SRE, while Barneveld slipped into third-place at 8-3.
    The Warriors rallied from an early 10-4 deficit to outlast the Eagles, 28-26, in set one for a 1-0 lead, and then closed the second set with seven straight points to erase a 24-19 deficit and grab a 2-0 advantage with a 26-24 win.
    Barneveld stayed alive with a 28-26 decision over the Warriors in set three, however the hosts came back strong in set four by racing out to a 15-7 and rolling to a 25-16 win to secure the match.
    “It was great to be able to keep our focus with everything that was going on that night– Homecoming, Senior Night, Pack the Gym Night, etc. Barneveld is always a tough team and a great rival. We were glad to come away with a victory,” said Black Hawk head coach Rachel Wolff. “Our focus was key. We also needed to maintain confidence and our composure when we were down in many of the sets, and the girls did that.”
    B. Butler led the way with 18 kills and H. Butler chipped in with 17 kills for Black Hawk.
    Hannah Herbst distributed 21 assists to guide the offensive, while Sydney Delzer led the defense with four blocks and Savanna Burmeister led the Warriors at the service line with four aces.
    At South Wayne, on Tuesday, Oct. 3, the Warriors opened the week posting a 3-1 SRE victory over the Pecatonica Vikings.
    After rolling to wins of 25-10 and 25-16 to start the night, the Warriors struggled a bit to put away the pesky Vikings (3-7).
    Pec took down the hosts in set three, 25-21, to extend the match, but the Warriors regrouped with a 25-21 win of their own in set four to secure the victory.
    “Pec is a tough team. Again, focus was a key. Also being able to find their court when the pressure was on. We needed to be able to force them to play the ball instead of hitting or serving out of bounds or in the net to score against ourselves,” commented Coach Wolff.
    Herbst handed out 18 assists to lead the Warriors. H. Butler slammed down a match-high 18 kills with B. Butler chipping in with 12 kills, while Delzer registered three blocks and Teearia Sweeney served up four aces in the match.
    Black Hawk closes the regular season at Albany (0-10) for a SRE contest on Thursday, Oct. 12.
    The WIAA Division 4 volleyball tournament begins on Tuesday, Oct. 17. The Warriors’ seeding meeting was not held until Wednesday night, so their opponent was not known at press time. Please check the Swnes4u Sports page on Facebook for updated brackets when they are released.
    “I feel like the girls are playing the best ball that they have all season. We have most of the kinks worked out. If we keep our focus, play together as a team and utilize our strengths, I think we could do fairly well in the tournament,” replied Wolff.
 
Barneveld……….  26   24   28   16  
Black Hawk……..  28   26   26   25
BH Leaders– Kills: Bailey Butler 18, Hannah Butler 17. Blocks: Sydney Delzer 4. Assists: Hannah Herbst 21. Aces: Savanna Burmeister 4.
At South Wayne on Thursday, Oct. 5
 
Pecatonica……..  11   16   25   21
Black Hawk…….  25   25   21   25
BH Leaders– Kills: Hannah Butler 18, Bailey Butler 12. Blocks: Sydney Delzer 3. Assists: Hannah Herbst 18. Aces: Teearia Sweeney 4.
At South Wayne on Tuesday, Oct. 3