(Sentinel photo by Bethany Kroeze) Gehlen's Kayla Hatting smacks up a back row attack against Storm Lake St. Mary's during pool play at Sunday's CYO tournament in Le Mars. [Click to enlarge]

With their only losses coming to Class 2A and 3A ranked squads, the Gehlen volleyball team finished third at Sunday's CYO tournament, hosted by the Lady Jays.

Gehlen started the day with a tough match against Class 3A No. 3 Sioux City Heelan. The Crusaders rolled to a pair of 21-11 wins over the Lady Jays to kick off the tournament with a 1-0 record.

"I thought we could have come out with a little more fire in our opener against Heelan, but they are a very solid team," Gehlen coach Mike Meyer said.

(Sentinel photo by Bethany Kroeze) K-P's Chris Olson runs around the Wildcat defenders, searching for a hole, during the Panthers 32-7 loss to Woodbury Central Friday. [Click to enlarge]

Leading the Lady Jays in the match offensively were Kayla Hatting and Alexis Wiltgen. Hatting smacked down four kills while Wiltgen pounded in three. Danielle Gunter set them up with four assists while Amber Timmins added three.

At the service line, Jessie Timmins nailed the only ace serve for Gehlen in the match as she went 3-4 from the line. Wiltgen was 4-5 from the service line.

Defensively, Hatting dug out five balls and Amber Timmins blocked two hits.

After the tough loss, Gehlen bounced back with a big win over Storm Lake St. Mary's. The Lady Jays rolled to a 21-7 win in game one before winning 21-8 in game two.

Melissa Kellen was a force at the service line in the match as she pounded in four ace serves as she went 9-10. Jessie Timmins served up a string of points for the Lady Jays as well, smacking in a pair of aces as she went 8-9.

Rachel Tilley dominated the offense in the front row for Gehlen, pounding down six kills. Gunter dished out six assists while Amber Timmins added three.

At the net, Jessie Timmins and Brittany Schlichte each blocked a hit and Kayla Holtgrewe dug out four balls on defense.

The Lady Jays wrapped up pool play with a 2-0 match win over Algona Garrigan. In game one, Gehlen rolled to a 21-9 win before defeating the Golden Bears 21-14 in game two.

Hatting paced the Lady Jays from the service line as she nailed three aces and was a perfect 8-8. Holtgrewe was a perfect 12-12 from the line with one ace serve.

On offense, Tilley pounded down five kills and Wiltgen added four for the Lady Jays. Gunter dished up five assists while Amber Timmins and Jessie Timmins each set up three assists in the match.

Holtgrewe led the Gehlen defense in the back row with eight digs. The libero also was a perfect 9-9 in her passing game.

At the net, Tilley blocked one hit.

With a 2-1 pool play record, Gehlen faced off against Carroll Kuemper in the semi-final round. The fourth-ranked team in Class 2A defeated the Lady Jays in two games, winning 25-14 in each game.

Against the Knights, Gunter and Holtgrewe led the serving game with perfect numbers as they each went 5-5.

On offense, Tilley, Hatting and Wiltgen each pounded down four kills. Setting things up were Gunter and Amber Timmins, who each dished up four assists.

Holtgrewe paced the defense in the back row with 11 digs while Gunter contributed five. Holtgrewe was 15-16 in the passing game and Hatting was 14-14.

At the net, Wiltgen and Schlichte each blocked a hit.

In the consolation match, Gehlen defeated Fort Dodge St. Edmond's in two games to finish third overall at the tournament. Heelan defeated Kuemper (25-18, 25-22) in the championship game.

Against the Gaels, the Lady Jays edged out a 25-19 win in game one. In game two, Gehlen held on tight as they won 25-18.

Hatting was the serving leader as the senior went 8-8 in the match with two ace serves. Gunter (8-9) and Steph Rohe (9-10) each smacked in an ace as well.

Tilley continued to dominate the offense as she rained down six kills against the Gaels. Jessie Timmins, Hatting and Wiltgen each recorded five kills in the match.

Gunter dished up 12 assists and Amber Timmins added nine to set up the offense.

On defense, Holtgrewe dug out 11 balls while Jessie Timmins recorded six digs and one blocked hit. Tilley also blocked a hit.

Hatting and Wiltgen each contributed perfect passing games as they were both 10-10 in the match.

"Overall, we had a pretty good day at this tournament," Meyer said. "We beat the teams that I thought we should beat and struggled with the ranked schools in the bigger classes. We played well enough in a few of the games that I was able to use some different players which is always good for the team. We had pretty good offensive balance most of the day, but struggled at times with our intensity level. Basically, I am pleased with the outcome, as the talent gap between Heelan and Kuemper with the rest of us is quite noticeable."

In the opposite pool as the Lady Jays, Remsen St. Mary's ended the day after posting an 0-3 record in pool play.

The Hawks kicked off the tournament against War Eagle Conference opponent Spalding Catholic, which they have defeated twice in previous meetings this season. However, this time around, the Spartans grabbed the win as they edged the Hawks 21-19 in game one before winning game two 21-17.

"I thought the girls played well in the match," RSM coach Janelle Schorg said. "I can't say they missed a lot of serves or hit a lot of balls in the net. It was just Spalding's turn to win."

In the second match of the day, RSM fell to Class 2A No. 4 Kuemper, the eventual tournament runner-up.

The Hawks fell 10-21 in game one. In game two, St. Mary's continued to battle as they forced a string of points while Kuemper was on game point before the Knights grabbed a 21-12 win.

St. Mary's lost their final game of pool play to Fort Dodge St. Edmond, who finished fourth in the tournament. After winning game one 21-10, the Hawks slowed down in game two and the Gaels won 21-8 to force the third game. St. Edmond edged out St. Mary's 15-10 in the third game to win the match and advance to the semi-final round, where they dropped matches to Heelan and Gehlen.

Of the tournament, Schorg was pleased with the effort and thought her squad enjoyed the day. "It's nice to get to see other teams and see what they're doing and how we match up to them," Schorg said.

The Hawks' offense was led by Emma Krier at the net with seven kills. Brielle Biezuns pounded down six kills while Emily Roder added five to the effort. Jennifer Feller dished out 18 assists in the tournament.

From the service line, Biezuns and Samantha Theisen each smacked in a pair of ace serves to boost the offensive efforts.

Defensively, Biezuns and Mercedees Ricke each dug out 12 balls on the day. Krier recorded a team-high 13 digs in the tournament.

At the net, Krier blocked 12 hits while Roder added 10 blocks and Biezuns contributed seven.

Up next, RSM and Gehlen will face off in conference action this week as the Hawks host the Lady Jays on Tuesday.

Final team placings:

1st - Sioux City Heelan, 5-0

2nd - Carroll Kuemper, 4-1

3rd - Gehlen Catholic, 3-2

4th - Fort Dodge St. Edmond, 2-3

5th - Spalding Catholic, 1-2

5th - Bishop Garrigan, 1-2

6th - Remsen St. Mary's, 0-3

6th - Storm Lake St. Mary's, 0-3