GMG senior Adelyn Sienknecht (12) goes up for the attack against BCLUW defenders Kailan McEwen (21) and Sydney Anderson (4) during Tuesday’s Iowa Star Conference volleyball match in Conrad. PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER

CONRAD — BCLUW’s standard of volleyball is coming into focus.

The Comets, currently ranked fifth in Class 1A, rolled past GMG in straight sets for another Iowa Star Conference South Division victory at BCLUW High School on Tuesday, Sept. 19.

BCLUW won 25-10, 25-15, 25-10 to improve to 5-0 in South play and 12-5 overall. GMG fell to 7-7 and 2-2 in the South.

Long BCLUW scoring runs in each game set the tone for the match. Grace Farnsworth had 12 kills and Kailan McEwen added eight kills.

“We had that focus to make sure we were going to play our standard of volleyball that we’ve set for ourselves this year,” BCLUW head coach Abby Stephenson said, “It sounds so simple, but when there’s so many different things going on, having the extra focus to make sure we take care of the ball when we can has been our main focus.

The teams traded the first eight points of the first set for a 4-4 tie, and BCLUW scored 18 of the next 20 rally points to blow the doors open.

In set two, GMG built an 11-8 lead, but a 15-2 flurry flipped the set back to the Comets once more.

By the third set, BCLUW had established control, and Raegan Crawford’s ace serve, the 13th of the match for the Comets, closed out the sweep.

“Our rationale when we’re going to be offensive is something that has grown immensely from the first few weeks on,” Stephenson said. “And we’re doing everything in our power to prevent the ball from hitting our side of the floor, having that tenacity that’s blossomed and spread to others on the team and showing the grit that we can really possess.”

Olivia Peters, a 6-foot-1 freshman, got her first playing time of the season for the Comets on Tuesday after missing the start of the season with a fractured right hand suffered just before the first match of the season.

“We’re going to see where she fits in a bit and see what she’s able to handle right now, just get her worked in,” Stephenson said.

For GMG, it’s another chance to see high-quality competition after last Thursday’s match with current-No. 3 North Tama.

“It shows them some quicker play, some faster-paced movements and how much they have to work in their positions,” GMG head coach Justina Eggers said. “We’ve definitely passed a lot better and picked up a lot more before and this was just an off night for the back row in serve receive.”

Eggers strives to grow the program as she works without an assistant coach.

“I’m hoping we can keep working here at GMG to build a good program and be able to better prep the girls a little bit,” Eggers said.