Wednesday, October 30, the Galena Girls’ Volleyball team competed in the Regional semifinals, hosted at GHS; they versed Scales Mound Hornets. The girls played a strong game but it was no fight as they left the Hornets in the dust. Coach Dennis Wills left the gym in surprise when he brought up freshman Alexa Stroyan to play front right. “I was informed ahead of time that I would be joining the varsity team. I felt nervous during the first few games because I hadn’t played with them for long, and it felt different from playing on the freshman team. However, everyone on the team is very nice, and they have been a great help to me,” said Stroyan ‘28.
The first set ended in 25-9, light work for the girls. The second set ended 25-12. The girls had an excellent kill game from Gracie Furlong ‘25, Mya McCoy ‘26, and Kendra Bauer ‘27. Furlong led with 12, McCoy ‘26 with 6, and Bauer with 4. Abby Merritt ‘25 also had a great performance assisting with 25 successful assists.
The following day, the girls faced the Eastland Cougars, who had defeated East Dubuque the day before. This final game held special significance for both the girls and the community, as it marked the last volleyball game to be played in the current gym. “I feel as if my performance was pretty good and that I was playing for my team. I was not ready to be done yet and I played my heart out. How I prepare to play more challenging games is by getting my teammates ready and making sure that we know who we are going up against and what we need to do to be able to beat them” Said Gracie Furlong ‘25 when asked about how she felt her performance went and how she prepares her team as captain.
However, the game was a bit more challenging. The Pirates ended their first set 25-17 and their second set 25-20. Once again, the girls gave a tough performance. They brought strong kills, blocks, and digs to the court. This Regional win resulted in the tenth consecutive Regional win. The girls overall showed off their dedication and hard work to their sport and are on their way to winning the first round of Sectionals on November 5.
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