The Gibraltar Vikings volleyball team opens Packerland play on Thursday with a home match against Kewaunee.

 

After tournaments at Central Wisconsin Christian and Crivitz, the Vikings have split their first 10 matches.

 

At Central Wisconsin Christian, the Vikings went 1-2 on day one with a pool play win against Parkview 25-19, 25-19 before losing to Wisconsin Heights 26-27, 24-26 and CWC 21-25, 26-24, 11-15. They bounced back in bracket play on day two, falling to Wisconsin Heights 19-25, 25-22, 7-15 before beating SWCHA 25-17, 23-25, 15-13 and Elkhart Lake Glenbeulah 16-25, 27-26, 17-15. The Vikings were led by Ella Clarke (40 kills, 5 aces, 6 block assists), Ema Collak (27 kills, 8 aces, 53 digs), Isla Fagundes (99 assists, 8 aces, 62 digs), Aileen Torres (24 kills, 40 digs), and Azucena Jauregui (21 kills, 5 aces, 50 digs). Despite the .500 mark, head coach Lauren Ward was happy with the intensity and skill the team showed. "The girls continue to demonstrate that their level of play has accelerated both with their defense and the speed of their offense," Ward said. "Taking teams like CWC (last season's sectional semifinalist) to three sets and losses that are only a few points off, shows that hunger and intensity has improved this preseason."

 

At Crivitz, the Vikings bounced back from losses to 

Florence 13-25, 15-25 and Green Bay Southwest 25-22, 22-25, 9-15 before beating Marinette 25-13, 25-18 and Mercer 25-21, 25-16. Leading the Vikings once again were Ema Collak (11 aces, 14 kills, 31 digs), Isla Fagundes (29 assists, 4 aces, 14 digs), Ella Clarke (14 kills, 4 blocks), and Azucena Jauregui (11 kills, 17 digs). Ward was proud of how her team shook off the summer jitters after a rough morning. "It's wonderful to have Ema Collak back after last season's injury, and the team played united and aggressive," Ward said. "Despite the two losses in the morning, I was really proud of their fortitude and ability to adjust to the speed of play."

 

The Vikings face a 2-4 Storm squad that is coming off a five-match day where they went 2-3 on the day with wins over Kohler and Valders.

 

First serve is set for 7 p.m.