Jackson volleyball team opens season with sweep of St. Vincent

It was exactly the sort of fresh start the Jackson volleyball team envisioned before stepping on its home court in Tuesday night's season opener.

Led by new coach Tracy Robinson, Jackson reversed its fortunes from last year's opener by defeating St. Vincent 25-16, 25-18 in straight sets.

Each set featured two lead changes, both of which Jackson took the latter, and Robinson was pleased to see effective communication and controlled momentum from her squad.

"I think they did both very well," Robinson said. "I'm very excited for them. They really showed their hard work through the summer, and they were really confident. And that's what I wanted them to be, confident."

The match was highlighted by the performance of outside hitter Autumn Reid, a 5-foot-11 senior who finished last season with a team-high 261 kills for Jackson. Reid had 10 kills on the night with a .450 hitting percentage.

"She's been working so hard on her approach and staying open to the setter and being able to hit. We call it carving the court, and she just carved the court tonight by going where they weren't and being a smart hitter," Robinson said. "We really love to see her do that. She's been working so hard this summer."

Jackson (1-0) never trailed by more than two points in the opening set before taking a 12-11 lead on a kill from Lexi King. The set had seven ties, and Jackson distanced itself when Olivia Wendel's kill triggered a 6-0 run that extended the team's lead to 23-15. Wendel and King combined for a block to end the set three points later.

St. Vincent's Katie Verseman hits the ball to Jackson's Lexi King in the first set Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015 in Jackson. (Glenn Landberg)

"Aggressive serving, we've been working really hard on that, and we kept it away from their best passers. We did that very well tonight," Robinson said. "St. Vincent, you can't ask for a better competitor. It was a great match tonight, long rallies.

"Fortunately, we've been working really hard on winning those rallies, so it was a nice confidence boost to see that."

St. Vincent (0-1) showed the same vigorous fight that propelled the team to a Class 1 state runner-up finish last year. Molly Myers had a block that sparked a 5-0 run to begin the second set before a kill from Reid put Jackson on the board. Thanks to three kills from sophomore Jackie Verseman, St. Vincent held an 11-6 lead, forcing Robinson to corral her players and regroup.

Jackson responded by evening the score at 12-12 and again at 14-14. A kill from Reid gave Jackson a 15-14 lead it didn't relinquish, and Deanna Mirly and Olivia Hallet concluded a 6-0 run and ended the match with a combined block.

Robinson said she's been emphasizing to her team about the importance of closing out sets.

"As a new coach, I worked really hard on building off that momentum, and then this year, they're really learning how to do that. ... I loved how we came together every time and communicated," Robinson said. "It was great that we celebrated. This was a team that wasn't used to celebrating, so we really got after them this summer to celebrate each point and use that momentum to control our opponent. And I thought they did an excellent job tonight."

St. Vincent coach Cindy Cissell said her team has been dealing with injuries but was pleased to get the experience of playing against a Class 4 school.

"Jackson beat us fair in square," Cissell said. "We've got a lot to work on, but you know what? It's the first [match], and it's a long way to go. If I was wanting to peak right now, we'd be in trouble mid-October, so that's what I'm looking for."

Jackson players huddle together before the start of their match against St. Vincent Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015 in Jackson. (Glenn Landberg)

Cissell enters her second season as coach with four senior starters but said her players struggled to consistently counter Reid's height on the outside.

"She hits over the top, and you can't defend that. It's very difficult," Cissell said. "They played very well, and we've got some work to do. That's alright though. I'll lose to Jackson anytime."

St. Vincent was 25-12-1 a year ago, wrapping up its season with a 22-25, 25-13, 25-20 loss to Winona in the Class 1 championship match. Cissell believes her players will show their true colors as they become more accustomed to the flow of the season.

"When you practice against JV all day long, you're not up to speed, and that's just the way it goes," she said. "We had the jamboree last Tuesday, and we started out really, really slow. By the third match, we picked it up quite a bit.

"I think that once we get in the flow two or three matches a week, it's going to all fall into place. I think they'll be just fine."

King, a Woodland transfer, and Hannah Hunt each had six kills for Jackson, while setter Malary Burger finished with 16 assists. Libero Kali Beussink added 12 digs.

"They need this to know their hard work and how we've been teaching them to do things a little bit different really does pay off, and I think this is just a huge confidence booster because whenever you face St. Vincent, you know you're facing a top-notch team," Robinson said. "This gives us confidence that we can go out and compete. I love to see that."