By Oliver Goldesberry | September 10, 2026 | Sports
Haskell varsity volleyball finished day two of the Haskell Invite 1-1, winning against the Southwestern Moundbuilders and falling to the Tabor Bluejays.
The first game started off neck and neck with Haskell tying the match at 4-4 on a Mecca Goldsberry ace before quickly falling behind. Haskell came out of a timeout with some energy at the very end of the set, getting the set within seven behind two kills from Mya Dalgai before falling 16-25.
On the energy Haskell gained late in the opening set, Dalgai said, “It’s lifting each other up, we talked about communication every single practice and encouraging one another.” She continued on how the team applied that energy to the following sets. “Every point we get, even if we mess up or not, we think about the next point and encourage, encourage, encourage which makes our connection better than it used to be,” Dalgai said.
Haskell built off of momentum that they showed in the last set by taking an 8-1 lead behind two of Jaspen Ellenwood aces before a Moundbuilders timeout. In the middle of the set, Grace Moses-Watchman scored an ace before the second Moundbuilders timeout, once out of the timeout she would land a final ace. Haskell continued to dominate, winning the set by 25-11.
On what motivates Haskell to fast starts, Dalgi said, “What motivates us is, if we’re at zero we aim to be the first to five, ten, 15, and 25 is what drives us.”
The third set remained close throughout, with Haskell holding the largest lead at three points and the teams tying nine times. The final tie came at 21-21 before kills from Tressa Jim and Jayla Flient put Haskell ahead. Sandra St. Clair followed with the set-winning kill to give Haskell a 25-22 victory
Set four did not start in Haskell’s favor as they trailed by four in the set before a timeout at 13-17. Haskell came out of timeout with some energy and took a 22-21 lead on a Dalgai kill before timeout. Haskell won the set 25-23 with a Dalgai kill sealing the set and a 3-1 game win.
The stat leaders for the match were Mya Dalgai with ten kills, Alaina Dugi with four aces, Jayla Flient with three blocks, Jasper Ellenwood with 18 assists, and Dugi with 14 digs.
Game two quickly had a 4 point deficit that the Bluejays would stay comfortable in and continue to extend the lead. Haskell lost the first set 16-25.
Game two was also off to a close start with the set being tied four times before Haskell got its last lead of the set with a Hailey Kelsey ace before the fifth and final tie at 9-9. After Haskell’s second timeout of the set they would get as close as six before losing 18-25.
Game three started off strong and jumped to a 4-0 lead behind two Dalgai kills. The Bluejays battled back and took a 14-17 lead before Haskell called a timeout. Haskell would get it within two multiple times before they called their second timeout down 17-21. That would be the closest Haskell would get it before losing the set 18-25 and getting swept 0-3 in the game.
Dalgai on Haskell’s almost comebacks, “We try to keep our energy to the very end, we put up a real good fight even though we were a little bit down we try to push through as hard as we can and once they hit harder we try to hit back as hard as we can.”
Haskell finished the Haskell Invite 1-2 and now sits at 3-10 on the season with its next game against the Friends Falcons on the road Sept. 9. Haskell will be back at Coffin vs the Mission Patriots Sept. 10 for a game at 7 p.m.
The stat leaders for game were Dalgai with seven kills, Kelsey and Ellenwood with two aces, Fleint with 4 blocks, Ellenwood with 11 assists, and Jim with ten digs. The stat leaders on the day were Dalgai with 17 kills, Ellenwood and Dugi with five aces, Fleint with seven blocks, Ellenwood with 29 assists, and Jim with 21 digs.
