Kaiser, Albrecht spark latest win by SJO volleyball

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School volleyball team kept right on rolling Monday night after placing second this past Saturday at the 16-team Bulldog Invitational hosted by Mahomet-Seymour.

The Spartans drilled Hoopeston Area 25-5, 25-5 to earn a home nonconference win on Monday night, their sixth win in their last seven matches.

Senior Lacey Kaiser supplied a team-high six kills, while senior Jenna Albrecht and sophomore Kennedi Burnett each contributed five kills.

Senior Emily Bigger added 16 assists and eight digs, while senior Katelyn Berry chipped in with three kills and 11 digs.

The win on Monday came after SJO reached the championship match at the Bulldog Invitational, only losing to host Mahomet-Seymour 25-9, 25-22 in the title match.

SJO opened up its tournament stay in Mahomet in dominating fashion, defeating St. Teresa’s junior varsity team 25-10, 25-5, Springfield Southeast 25-10, 25-6 and Peotone 25-11, 25-12 in pool play. Those three wins earned the Spartans a spot in the championship bracket, with SJO knocking off Manteno 25-15, 25-18 in the semifinals before losing to M-S. Burnett represented SJO on the 12-player all-tournament team.

Prior to the Bulldog Invitational, the Spartans split a pair of nonconference matches at home last week. SJO defeated Oakwood 25-8, 25-10 last Wednesday night, but suffered a 22-25, 20-25 loss to Champaign Central last Tuesday night. The loss to Champaign Central ended a six-match win streak for SJO.

Berry paced SJO in the win against Oakwood with a team-high 10 kills, while Burnett added six kills, with Albrecht, Kaiser and junior Payton Vallee each chipping in four kills apiece. Bigger wound up with a double-double by distributing 24 assists and making 12 digs to go along with three aces. Burnett pitched in defensively with seven digs and senior Rylee Stahl also helped out with five digs to go along with two aces.

SJO (11-3) has a quick turnaround after Monday night’s win with two more nonconference matches in the next two matches, both at home. The Spartans are set to host Paxton-Buckley-Loda at 7 p.m. on Tuesday before welcoming in Danville at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.