A sea of pink was the setting for the highly-anticipated LTC matchup between neighboring volleyball rivals Annawan and Wethersfield. 

The annual Volley For A Cure match featured two of the best teams in Class 1A, the 19-4 Bravettes and the 19-2-1 Lady Geese. Wethersfield entered the match 9-0 in the conference and host Annawan 8-1 in the LTC. 

The two teams gave the boisterous, packed house quite a show. Ultimately, it was the Bravettes claiming bragging rights, winning the three-set thriller 25-17, 19-25, 25-19. 

In the first game, Annawan’s senior Kaylee Celus connected on a string of four solid strikes to lead the Bravettes to an early 6-1 advantage. A kill by WHS senior Kennady Anderson stopped Annawan’s momentum. 

A kill by junior Lajaya Angel, a well-placed tip by senior setter Raqi Young and another big kill by Anderson kept WHS close at 12-10. 

Annawan sophomore power hitter Tyra Jones then went to work. She had a tip over the block, a kill and two aces to force a Wethersfield timeout with the Bravettes holding a 17-11 advantage. 

Anderson had two more kills for WHS at 18-13, but the Lady Geese had a hard time gaining traction. Two more kills and a block by Celus forced another Wethersfield timeout at 22-15.

An off-speed kill by Annawan junior Hannah Heitzler gave the Bravettes the final score of the first game, 25-17.

The second game was a steady back and forth of solid play by both teams, but Wethersfield held a slight advantage throughout most of the set. 

A tip by Young and a block by Anderson and Emersyn Nelson helped give WHS an 8-6 lead. A trio of kills by junior Kendall Vincent added to the Lady Geese advantage at 15-13. 

A block and a kill by Angel forced an Annawan timeout with Wethersfield leading 22-16. A kill by Jones, a floater over the net by junior Clara Bella VanOpdorp and a Wethersfield error brought the Bravettes closer at 22-19. 

Another big block by the front row duo of Nelson and Anderson and a kill by Angel helped WHS take the second game, 25-19. 

The third set didn’t disappoint. It featured a total of six ties throughout the back and forth. 

An ace by Anderson gave WHS an early 3-1 lead, but a kill by VanOpdorp and a string of three hits by Jones put Annawan ahead 8-6. 

A pair of kills by Celus helped extend Annawan’s lead and force a Wethersfield timeout at 12-8. Following the timeout, a kill by Nelson, an off speed hit by Young and an AHS hitting error halted the momentum, but the Bravettes still maintained a 13-11 edge. 

A block by Angel and a service ace by Wethersfield senior Cora Hodge knotted the game at 15-all. A tip by Young and a big block by Young and Angel forced an Annawan timeout with WHS ahead 18-16. 

Two ties followed at 18 and 19, but consecutive kills by Jones and an ace by senior Olivia Goodley gave Annawan a 21-19 advantage. A big block by the duo of Heitzler and VanOpdorp and another ace by Goodley closed out the match for Annawan 25-19.

“Wethersfield has an amazing program,” said Annawan Coach Gina Peterson. “I give them a lot of credit.”

She went on to praise her team for their ability to play as a solid unit. “We had seven girls with one goal tonight and that was to go out there and to be there for each other, and we accomplished that” she added. 

“Annawan is just a tough atmosphere to play in,” said Wethersfield Coach Tonya Vincent, “but all  three games were well played and overall it was a good match.”

Celus led all hitters with 20 kills and Jones added 15 for Annawan. VanOpdorp distributed 28 assists throughout the match and Celus added nine. VanOpdorp also had 12 digs and six kills. Jones contributed 15 digs.

Anderson and Vincent led WHS with seven and six kills, respectively. Nelson and Young each had five and Angel added four kills and five blocks.  

Young had 22 assists for the Lady Geese. Hodge and Vincent had 13 and 11 digs. Anderson and Marlie Lindstrom added seven and five digs. 

Annawan and Wethersfield now each stand 9-1 atop the LTC. The Bravettes improve to 20-4 and the Lady Geese drop to 19-3-1. 

Wethersfield won the sophomore match 25-9, 25-17 and they move to 20-3-1 on the season and remain in first place in the LTC.