(Sentinel photo by Roy Tucker) Gehlen setter Amber Timmins dishes up an assist to set up the Lady Jays' offense on the road against Unity Christian Thursday evening. [Click to enlarge]

The Gehlen Catholic volleyball squad put up a tough fight against War Eagle Conference opponent Unity Christian Thursday evening in Orange City.

Unfortunately, the Lady Jays came out on the losing end of the match, falling 3-0 to the Knights.

Unity bolted to a 25-18 win in game one. In game two, Gehlen continued to fight the Knights, but Unity prevailed with a 25-21 win. The Knights completed the match sweep with a 25-19 win in game three.

(Sentinel photo by Roy Tucker) Gehlen's Brittany Schlichte smacks a kill over the net against Unity Christian Thursday evening. [Click to enlarge]

"We played a very tough Unity team tonight and played a very competitive match against them," Gehlen coach Mike Meyer said.

"They are easily the tallest and best blocking team we've faced this year," he continued. "Because of that, we struggled offensively at times but did find some things that were effective."

Leading the offense for Gehlen was Kayla Hatting. The senior outside hitter pounded down seven kills to lead the squad. Alexis Wiltgen and Rachel Tilley used their height to smack in five kills apiece.

Amber Timmins dished out 11 assists to set up the Lady Jays' offense. Danielle Gunter added six assists to the setting duo's efforts.

Defensively, Tilley blocked four Unity attacks in the match. In the back row, libero Kayla Holtgrewe dug out 11 balls while Hatting contributed eight digs to the Gehlen effort.

Holtgrewe continued to shine in the back row as she completed a perfect 22-22 passes on the night. Wiltgen recorded a passing completion of 22-24 in the match.

"We had a fairly strong serving night, led by Kayla Hatting," Meyer continued.

Hatting was a perfect 12-12 from the service line and smacked in a team-high four ace serves.

Wiltgen added one ace in her 10-11 serving effort.

"More importantly, I am pleased with the intensity level in which we played," Meyer said. "We had several great 'hustle' plays which showed our competitiveness. I am pleased that we have been making forward progress."

With the loss, Gehlen falls to 4-3 in the conference and 14-13 overall.

The Lady Jays hope to boost their record this weekend as they step out of league play to compete in the CYO tournament, which they will host on Sunday in Le Mars.

Pool play will begin at noon, with Gehlen facing off against Class 3A No. 3 Sioux City Heelan. Also in the Lady Jays' pool are Bishop Garrigan and Storm Lake St. Mary's. Following the completion of pool play, the top two squads from each of the two pools will face off to determine the championship and consolation matches. The opposing pool features Kuemper Catholic, Fort Dodge St. Edmond, Remsen St. Mary's and Spalding Catholic.