USC’s Chloe Bullerman leaps high to hit the ball over the net against Bethlehem Academy.

The United South Central volleyball team played hard against the Faribault Bethlehem Academy Cardinals, but just could not pull out a win, and lost 3-1 on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

The Cardinals won the first set 25-22, and the Rebels won the second set 25-21 to tie up the match. But BA went on to win the third set 25-20 and the fourth set 25-19 to take the victory.

“We had opportunities tonight, we just couldn’t capitalize down the stretch in sets one, three and four,” coach Joe Kuechenmeister said. “We struggled to be in system in the latter stages of the sets we lost, and BA took advantage of our miscues.”

Chloe Bullerman lead the team having a big night with 23 kills, six digs, seven blocks and two assists. Jaelyn Stangler added eight kills and two blocks.

Alivia Bruegger had four kills, 15 digs and one block, while Reanna Obermeyer and Jaiden Gossen both had three kills. Obermeyer also had five digs and two aces while Gossen added one block.

“Chloe had another solid night on the front line,” the coach noted. “I also want to give a shout out to Reanna Obermeyer, Jaiden Gossen, and Kaydra Haugh. We did some moving around of positions and responsibilities as we’re still working to find that right combo on the floor, and all three did a nice job of adapting to what was asked of them.”

Olivia Bird had nine digs and one assist, while Carissa Hanson had six digs and one ace, Haugh had five digs and Presley Brandenburg had four digs and two aces.

Izzy Bird had 35 assists and one ace.

USC is now 4-17 (0-6 Gopher Conference) and the Rebels play again on Thursday at Gopher Conference opponent Blooming Prairie. Results of that match will be in the next Faribault County Register.

Medford 3, USC 2

The USC Rebels battled hard and came close, but in the end they fell 3-2 to the Medford Tigers on Thursday, Sept. 25.

With the match tied 2-2, Medford won the fifth and deciding set to take the victory.

Scores were 25-16, 25-21, 19-25, 12-25, 15-9.

“The kids battled much better tonight,” coach Joe Kuechenmeister said. “We started slow, dropping the first two sets and really struggling to control the ball, but I’m proud of how they righted the ship to force a game five. We started to play loose, flowing to the ball, getting on the ground, and scrapping out points and it was fun to see us start to find the level again that I know we’re capable of playing at.”

Chloe Bullerman had a high flying night with 22 kills, 14 digs, nine blocks and one assist. Jaelyn Stangler added eight kills, three digs and five blocks.

Alivia Bruegger and Reanna Obermeyer each had five kills with Bruegger addeing 16 digs, one block and four aces and Obermeyer having 16 digs, one block and four aces. Kaydra Haugh had one kill and seven digs.

Presley Brandenburg had 10 digs, as did Olivia Bird who also had two aces.

Izzy Bird had 36 assists, 15 digs and one ace.

“Hard to lose a match when you’ve worked so hard to be in a position to win, but we’ll focus on the progress and look to take advantage of our next opportunities,” the coach said.

A-C 3, USC 0

The USC Rebels took on the Alden-Conger Knights on Monday, Sept. 22, and took a 3-0 loss. Only the third set was close as it was 25-23. The other two were 25-13, 25-11.

“Credit to Alden-Conger for playing a clean match. They’ve got a nice team top to bottom.” coach Joe Kuechenmeister said. “They are solid in serve receive and defense, and they also have a couple of kids who are disciplined, hard hitters so we felt like we were on our heels the majority of the night.”

Chloe Bullerman led the Rebels with seven kills, eight digs, two blocks and one assist.

Jaelyn Stangler had five kills, one block and one dig. Alivia Bruegger had four kills, three digs, one block, one assist and one ace.

Tatum Stangler had two kills and one dig, Reanna Obermeyer had one kill, five digs and one block and Jaiden Gossen had one kill and one dig.

Izzy Bird had 13 assists, two digs and one ace. Presley Brandenburg had eight digs, Kaydra Haugh three digs and Carissa Hanson one dig.

“We struggled to find our rhythm through sets one and two, so we did mix things up in terms of personnel on the floor and I’ve got to credit the kids who came in and battled despite not having a ton of varsity on court experience,” coach Kuechenmeister added. “In set three we loosened up a bit and our serve receive improved, allowing us to operate in-system, and as a result we were a lot more competitive. We’ve just got to find a way to start quicker so we’re not chasing from behind in sets.”