Lisbon senior Ava Czarnecki continues to assault opposing defenses, helping lead the Lions to their first Tri-Rivers East victory, and guiding them to a fourth-place finish in their own tournament.
Czarnecki is leading the state, all classes, in kill efficiency (.500) and is fourth in the state in kills per set (5.8).
Thursday, in a 25-9, 25-17, 25-9 sweep of Easton Valley, Czarnecki had 19 kills. As a team, the Lions (13-4, 1-0) had an attack efficiency of .432, with just four attack errors.
“Ava was completely dynamic that night,” Lisbon Coach Lance Kamaus said of his outside hitter. “She had 19 kills on 27 swings. Very efficient.”
Kamaus also credited the Lions passing, which only had five serve receive errors in the match.
“We only allowed one ace, and that allowed us to attack well,” Kamaus said.
Addie Petersen added five kills and Mykala Luzum-Selmon added four.
Kaitlynn Hasselbusch had 32 assists and Addy Happel led with 15 digs. Luzum-Selmon added 14 digs.
On Saturday, the Lions went 2-3 at the Lisbon Invitational.
Lisbon brought in some ranked teams, and seeded itself fourth. The Lions then finished fourth.
Lisbon beat Iowa Valley (21-15, 23-21) and Mediapolis (21-15, 21-16) in pool play, before falling to No. 10 (2A) West Burlington 21-8, 21-14.
In the semifinals, Lisbon fell 25-23, 25-21 to Anamosa, a team that opened the season ranked in Class 3A.
“Honestly, we lost that first set 25-23, and we missed six serves in that set,” Kamaus said. “And we got aced six times.”
Then in the second set, the Lions gave up an 11-0 run to the Blue Raiders. “We feel we were right there,” Kamaus said.
After that loss, Lisbon had to get right back out on the court for a rematch against West Burlington for third place, and fell, 21-8, 19-21, 15-10.
“We came out flat in that first set, but showed real character in the second set,” Kamaus said. “It was still a good Saturday for us.”
Lisbon played at Calamus-Wheatland on Tuesday, hosts Midland on Thursday, then plays at the South Tama County Tournament on Saturday.
Lisbon’s Ava Czarnecki nudges the ball over the net in play at home Thursday, Sept. 7.