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DICKINSON — Dickinson High School’s season-long resilience made for an exciting run at the Western Dakota Association tournament, hosted on their home court. Unfortunately, their season was laid to rest on Saturday, after a tight contest against Bismarck Saint Mary’s — in the attempt to qualify for state.
Losing 3-2 (25-12, 16-25, 26-24, 19-25, 15-9), the Midgets (6) showed their ability to compete in their highly competitive region, thanks to the talent and strong leadership among their upperclassmen. Their three seniors, Caton Pearcy, Baylee Berg and Alyssa Curtis, were pivotal both on the court and from the sidelines.
The unwavering grit and support provided their peers with a season to remember and grow from.
The Saints (5), equally determined to continue their season, were snatching at any and every opportunity that DHS gave up. They were up 6-0 coming out of the gate in set one.
The Midgets didn’t stay down long, starting the second game with a 4-0 lead. St. Mary’s would keep close behind, but Dickinson would never relinquish the lead. Middle hitter Jenna Decker sealed the second set win, tallying the last four of Dickinson’s points.
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The third game was the most heated set in the match, going into deuce. The Midgets won the lead 10 times in the set, but were never able to get the strong run of points necessary to put it away.
Despite a tremendous effort in the third game, the Midgets came up short by two after tying the score at 24.
The home crowd remained unwavering in their support, as DHS won the fourth set to initiate the tie-breaking fifth game. On the cusp of a state appearance for the first time since 2012, mistakes and miscommunication would stall out the Midgets momentum. Errors were costly and all too often Dickinson was fighting from behind in the final rallies of the set.
The end of the match marked the end of a tough and enduring season for the home side. However, looking to the future, the program will be in good shape with a large group to return.
Freshman setter Cecilia Homiston had the right touch, tallying 44 assists— she also provided six kills scored from decisive power tips and pushes.
Outside hitters Sadie Stevenson and Jenna Nelson got involved, connecting on cross plays, having 10 kills in total. DHS bombarded the middle with attacks, both Decker and Jazmin Barry were finding the seams and delivered crowd pleasing roll shots. Barry and Decker led Dickinson in kills with 13 and 12 respectively.
Both Pearcy and Decker were named on the 2022 All-WDA volleyball team.
Finishing their high school careers, libero Berg served 17 aces, and led her team in digs 329 for the season.
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Over her senior year, outside hitter Pearcy garnered 30 aces and 255 kills — averaging 14 kills per match. In her two years as a Midget volleyball player, Pearcy has totaled 513 kills, 60 aces and 518 digs.
Curtis’ stats of nine kills and a single block does not reflect the tremendous amount of support and positive attitude that she possessed during their resilient season.
