TRIBULATION TUESDAY: Three Elmira Teams go into Battle with Mixed Rusults.

All aspects of emotion and success were on display Tuesday September 25 as three Elmira squads  felt the joy and agonies of three different results.

Elmira and Cottage Grove Fight to a Draw

At Swartz Field, the boys' soccer team rebounded from a horrid 10-0 drubbing at the hands of Henley to wage a scoreless draw with Cottage Grove in the Falcons' first league contest of the year.

"I was actually very pleased with the game," head coach Ryan Chambers said in an email.  "Clearly, a win would have been nice but I felt the score was indicative of the game as a whole. It was very evenly matched and both teams played pretty well."

In one of the best defensive performances of they year, Chambers kept midfielder Riley Chambers back to patrol the middle, a strategy that flummoxed any sense of rhythm that the Lions' offense was trying to muster.  When Cottage Grove was able to pressure the goal, Jaden Palmer was laying in wait, rejecting 9 shots on goal, unofficially, and registering his third shut out of the season.

Elmira Volleyball Team Returns to Winning Ways

After absorbing a first set loss to upstart Suislaw, the Lady Falcons flexed their combined talents and won the final three games as Elmira rolled past the Lady Vikings 3-1 at Elmira High School, Tuesday September 25.  

Putting the first game behind, the Lady Falcons began to methodically carry out their game plan with Sydney Green leading the team in assists.  The beneficiaries of Green's generosity were Maranda Hanson who led the team with 11 kills and Carly Grossmiller who added 8 kills.

"It was a rough first set," commented Elmira volleyball head coach Sarah Wartenbee in an email.  "They finally started palying together and completing the plays that they are capable of.  It was nice to see."

The improvement is easy to see in the record.  After suffering a dismal rut, losing 9 consecutive sets the week before last to league opponents Marist, Junction City and Cottage Grove, The Lady Falcons have rallied to go 6-5 in sets in the last week.  This is just in time as Elmira has a road tilt with 10th ranked Marshfield, who despite being in second place in the league sport a sparkling 12-3 record going into the match.  

Lady Falcons fall at Cottage Grove

Elmira's girls' soccer team was equally scrappy as they stayed within two goals of the 11th ranked Lady Lions until the 10:00 minute mark of the second half before a third goal and a penalty kick late spelled a 4-0 loss.  

Elmira's Paige Reichenberger delivers a header in front of a Cottage Grove defender in the Falcon's 4-0 loss to the Lady Lions, Tuesday September 25 at Cottage Grove High School.  Photo Kimberly Lillie

"Cottage Grove has some very talented and fast players," noted Elmira girls' soccer head coach Rob Lee in an email.  "(they) were very aggressive getting after loose balls."  

The Lady Falcons fell behind on an inexplicable deflection off a corner kick snuck past the goal line.  However, Lee saw continued progress from his young team. 

"We defended very well most of the time," Lee said.  "(Goalkeeper) Andrah Cobb made some incredible saves to help keep the score where it was."

Goalkeeper Andrah Cobb fires the ball out of the Falcons zone during their game with Cottage Grove.  Elmira fell to the Lady Lions 4-0, Tuesday September 25 at Cottage Grove High School.  Photo by Kimberly Lillie.

Marist Catholic Rolls over Lady Falcons in Conference Opener

The 11th ranked Marist Lady Spartans finally began playing to their ranking, defeating a pesky Elmira squad 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, and 25-22).  It was the Spartans' first victory and raised their record to 1-5 on the season.

The Lady Falcons weren't able to make a serious run at Marist until the third game as the Lady Spartans kept Elmira at arms length in the first two games.   Senior Carly Grossmiller awoke in the third game sparking the Elmira rally with 6 kills.

The Falcons' Maranda Hanson goes up for a kill in Elmira's 3-0 loss to #11Marist Catholic at Elmira High School, Thursday September 13.  Photo: Kimberly Lillie 

Carly and Maranda (Hanson) had great games," head coach Sarah Wartenbee said in an email.  "My setters (Josie Dickson, Sydney Green, and Annie Carpenter) hustled tremendously and did an excellent job of taking control of the ball even if the first pass wasn't on point.  Azzy Lane did a great job serving, in the back row, and does everything that is asked of her"

However, the Falcons had no answer for 6-1 outside hitter Britney Duvall who dominated the second and third games with 9 kills in the final game including the final four Spartan points to send Marist to the shut out victory. 

Sophomore Josie Dickson serves as Mallory Bailey waits during the Falcons' 3-0 loss to Marist Thursday Septemeber 13.  Photo: Kimberly Lillie

"We have things to work on as a team and as individual team mates," Wartenbee explained.  "We have a lot of ability, but just need to put all the pieces together."

Lady Falcons Volleyball Moves to 4-1 to Start Season

The Lady Falcons Volleyball team traveled north and came off a second set loss to rally to a 3-1 victory over Gladstone.  The victory pushed Elmira's record to 3-1 on the young season.

"We were trying a new rotation and had people in different spots, then kept it close the last two sets to come back for the win," commented head coach Sarah Wartenbee.  "Consistent serving is our biggest challenge right now.  We have given up too many points for it not to be something to work on."

Brianna Mills rises to challenge a Madras hitter's shot in a 3-2 loss earlier this season.  Photo:  Kimberly Lillie

The Lady Falcons were back on the court for the second half of a home and home series with visiting Gladstone on Thursday September 6 at Elmira High School.  Despite a close call in the third game, Elmira finished off Gladstone in an hour and 15 minutes, sweeping the Lady Glads 3-0 and allowing the Lady Falcons' record to swell to 4-1 on the young season.