Photo Courtesy of Hillcrest Academy Yearbook

The volleyball season came to an end Monday for the Hillcrest Academy Ravens in the opening round of the Class 1A playoffs. The Ravens were swept at Hillcrest Union by the BGM Bears 25-12, 25-20 and 25-13. Hillcrest Academy head coach Tanna Boshart talked with KCII Sports about what decided the match, and her standouts. “BGM really placed the ball well. They really pushed the corners. In the second set I thought we adjusted better and the score reflects that. It starts for us on the defensive end and I felt like it was a lot better in that second set. We were able to cover more ground and we moved better. We talk a lot about not reacting to the ball, but anticipating it and I think that was when we were doing that well. It just felt like we never really gained control in the match. We never really went on any runs. Niva (Helmuth) and Ruth (Whitthoft) led us offensively. Claire Withrow had a nice game, especially defensively. A couple freshman got in and gave us good minutes, Annika Schrock and Amelia Vigneron responded well.”

The Ravens were led by Claire Withrow with 15 digs and 12 assists. Stavia Miller had 12 digs and Brynna Boshart 11. Miller had two aces. Ruth Whitthoft and Niva Helmuth each had five kills. Helmuth added three blocks. The Ravens end their season at 16-11, it’s their first back-to-back winning seasons since 2017-18. Hillcrest says goodbye to six seniors included Claire Withrow, Nora Swartzendruber, Tara Poole, Niva Helmuth, Stavia Miller and Adrianne Blauvelt.