Fatima’s varsity volleyball team packed six matches into five days last week and came away with four victories, closing the stretch with a 3-1 showing and third-place finish Saturday at the Melissa Hoerber Invitational in California.

“We opened the week with a hard-fought five-set victory over Linn, 3-2,” said Coach Ellie Crede. “The team showed a lot of fight and resiliency throughout the match, especially after dropping the first set and battling back to take the final three of the next four sets.”

Fatima followed with a 3-0 loss to Hermann on Thursday.

Crede noted that the result did not tell the entire story.

“The girls continued to compete and showed improvement in several areas despite the result,” she said.

The Lady Comets responded Saturday by winning three of four matches at California. Fatima opened with victories over North Callaway and Centralia before closing the tournament with a win over Fulton to secure third place.

“The girls did a great job staying composed and competing throughout the day, and it was encouraging to see the team continue to build confidence and consistency as the tournament went on,” Crede said.

For Crede, the six-match stretch provided a useful test for a young team still developing its identity.

“We have continued to see growth in our communication, consistency, and ability to fight through adversity,” she explained. “These types of competitive matches and busy stretches are valuable for our growth.”

Fatima continues working toward more consistent play from set to set while building on the positives Crede has seen each week.

“I was proud of the way the girls responded throughout the week,” she added.

Kaylee Berhorst finished the week with 155 digs for the season. Crede reported that Berhorst ranked 25th in Missouri and fourth among Class 2 players in digs.

Fatima’s junior varsity split its two matches during the week.

Coach Tracy Quinn’s squad defeated Linn 25-5, 25-20 on Tuesday. Lexi Massman led the attack with five kills, Cecilia Kleffner added four, and Cora Heckman finished with three.

Alexis Rudroff controlled the net with seven blocks, while Heckman added one. Bralynn Troesser led the defense with 11 digs, and Lyla Riegel distributed 10 assists.

Fatima also served eight aces. Jayla Hoskins, Kleffner, and Troesser had two apiece, while Kora Luebbering and Riegel each added one.

The JV came up short Thursday against Hermann, 24-26, 20-25, but stayed within striking distance throughout both sets.

Rudroff and Massman led Fatima with four kills apiece, followed by Kleffner and Rilynn Wieberg with three each. The Lady Comets finished with 20 kills.

Troesser led the defense with 21 of Fatima’s 67 digs. Hoskins recorded 12, Kleffner had 10, and Luebbering added nine. Heckman and Riegel each had two blocks, and Kleffner finished with one.

Fatima’s C team started the week with a pair of convincing victories.

The Lady Comets defeated Linn 25-3, 25-6 on Tuesday behind a strong serving performance.

“We got off to a strong start serving, and then everyone joined in from there and things just took off,” said Coach Greg Wingrath. “I was happy to see that our team stayed focused on what they needed to do on our side of the net.”

Brooklynn Otto and Camille Dickneite each served six aces, while Kate Struemph added five. Otto also handed out 10 assists. Kinlee Perkins led the attack with five kills, and Alayna Royston added three.

Fatima followed Thursday with a 25-12, 25-16 victory over Hermann despite having to adjust its rotation because of a minor injury.

“Everyone adapted, and we had another solid performance,” Wingrath noted. “Everyone contributed.”

Otto finished with four aces, 13 assists, and four digs. Dickneite and Royston recorded five kills apiece, while Molly Struemph added four kills and a block.

The C team finished its week Saturday at the Helias ninth-grade tournament, where the Lady Comets played four matches.

Fatima opened with a 20-25, 22-25 loss to Osage.

“We were very flat, with very little energy, and unfortunately, it showed in the final scores,” Wingrath said. “If we had come out even close to what we’re capable of, we win both of those sets.”

The Lady Comets responded with a 25-11, 25-16 victory over Smith-Cotton before facing Rock Bridge.

“We finally played more to our potential, but they just played better,” Wingrath explained. “They have some girls that can block pretty well, and we weren’t quite ready for that.”

Fatima finished third in its pool and drew Helias in the opening round of bracket play. Several players had told Wingrath earlier in the day that they hoped for an opportunity to face Helias.

“They came out ready to play,” he noted. “They competed, and we were in both sets and had our chances but weren’t able to pull one out.”

Wingrath saw a larger lesson in the tournament beyond wins and losses.

“One of our biggest challenges is picking ourselves up and not letting one bad break or mistake turn into more,” he said. “Once again, the challenge was very good for us.”