The Lady Bruin varsity volleyball team has seen improvement match after match since the 2021 season started and Tuesday night was yet another step.
The Lady Bruins jumped out early on a strong Douglas Lady Trojan team and ran away with the first two sets 25-12 and 25-16. Again hustle, communication and solid play above the net has put Lady Bruin opponents in positions they are not accustomed to when playing Brookings-Harbor.
Seniors Shelby Jirsa #4 and Sierra Fitzhugh #5 continue to lead the way fearlessly pounding opponent front lines with power shots and smothering defense. But the typically strong Lady Trojan team rallied facing a 3 set shut-out and outlasted the Lady Bruins 21-25 in the 3rd set.
As Douglas gained confidence in the 3rd set and beginning of the 4th set, Brookings-Harbor tightened up with mishits and mistakes, struggling to keep up with a now confident and surging Lady Bulldog team. After a frantic stretch, the Lady Bruins closed the gap focusing on hustle plays, determination and fundamentals, however, Douglas would ultimately take the 4th set 20-25.
But the Lady Bruins learned to ride that wave of momentum right into the 5th and final set, and jumped out early on the Lady Trojans, and never looked back.
As a team, the Lady Bruins had 35 kills, 7.5 blocks and 44 digs on their way to their first 2021 win in 5 sets. Senior Shelby Jirsa #4 continues excel with 6 aces, 8 kills, 1 block, 16 digs and 20 assists. Senior Sierra Fitzhugh had 2 aces, 14 kills, 4 blocks, and 9 digs.
After the match a proud coach Shew told the Compass “I think the girls broke through by not giving up and grinding through some tough moments tonight…We still have things to continue to work on because now our sights are set on getting more wins.” she said. “I was impressed by Douglas’ scrappiness and they really made us work for it. Each player is showing personal growth which helps the team overall. It’s just so much fun seeing this team gel.”
