NORTON — The Ellsworth volleyball team traveled Saturday to compete in the Norton High School Volleyball Invitational. Going 4-1 on the day and laying claim to a secondplace finish, the Bearcats made a strong statement on how they expect to perform in their 2025 campaign.

“The girls had a great showing in what was a very competitive tournament,” head coach Kristy Rodriguez said. “They played well, and taking second place is a strong way to start the season.”

Ellsworth faced off against the Colby Eagles in the opening match. In the first set, Colby started the game off with the early lead before the Bearcats tied the game at 5-5, followed by their first lead of the match at 6-5.

With a total of 10 lead changes, the rest of the first set remained neck-andneck, as neither team led by more than two points before the Eagles finally outlasted Ellsworth, winning the set 27-25.

Ellsworth was not done, however, as they made quick work of the Eagles, winning the next two sets by scores of 25-10 and 25-15, and winning the match 2-1.

Next up for Ellsworth, were the Ulysses Tigers. Ellsworth started the first set by taking the early 1-0 lead before Ulysses tied it up 1-1. In another first set that was very close, Ellsworth, remaining in control of the tight advantage, never fell behind and never led by more than two points. That is, until they got the serve back with a slight 8-7 lead.

With senior Kelli Rodriguez serving, the Bearcats reeled off nine straight points before giving the ball back to the Tigers with a 16-9 Ellsworth lead. The Bearcats then led by as many as 10 points before the Tigers clawed their way back to within six points, but it was too little, too late, as Ellsworth went on to win the first set 25-17.

In game number two, Ulysses gained the early 2-0 advantage before giving it up to Ellsworth with the score of 3-2. This set, instead of jumping out to a big lead all at once, the Bearcats methodically increased their lead with each serve rotation as they went on to win the second set 25-17 and the match 2-0.

In match three of the day, the Bearcats competed against host school, the Norton Bluejays. Ellsworth controlled the pace as they won the match 25-15 and 25-21.

Ellsworth’s lone loss of the day came at the hands of the No. 4-ranked 3A team and fellow NCAA league member, the Beloit Trojans. In set one, the Bearcats got off to a slow start as they spotted the Trojans a 5-0 lead before scoring their first point, making the score 5-1. Ellsworth found themselves down by as many as 12 points before setting out on a comeback, pulling back to within five points. Beloit, however, held off the attempted comeback and won the first set 25-19.

The Bearcats came out for revenge in set two, jumping out to an early 4-0 lead over the Trojans, and looked to remain in control until late in the game. With the score tied at 15, Beloit wrestled the momentum away from the Bearcats, outscoring them 10-3 and winning set two 25-18.

Ellsworth bounced back to their winning ways in the final matchup of the day as they took on the Otis-Bison Cougars. The Bearcats left no doubt they were back in set one as they scored the first 10 points of the game on their way to a 25-4 victory.

In the second set, the Cougars held the early momentum until senior Reagan Hansen stepped in to serve for the Bearcats with the scored tied at 6-6. Ellsworth then spun off six straight points, giving themselves a six-point cushion. Otis-Bison pulled to within three before Ellsworth ended the set with a 25-21 win, closing out the match at 2-0.

“I’m proud of the way they have bought into our new system and how well they worked together on the court. Their teamwork, communication and effort really stood out,” Rodriguez said about the team.

Team stat leaders for the day for Ellsworth were seniors Lexi Moore (kills), Rodriguez (service aces, digs), Hansen (service points) and sophomore Kinly Place (assists).

The Bearcats will travel to Salina Saturday for the Salina South Invitational, then will be back home Sept. 13 to host their own invitational.