The Waterloo High School volleyball squad is enjoying a sizzling start to its fall season, improving to 14-1 overall following a first place tournament showing over the weekend.

The Bulldogs defeated Triad, Unity, Newton, Shelbyville, and then Newton again in the championship match of the St. Anthony Tournament in Effingham.

Ellie Day led the Bulldogs with 32 points and 55 assists in the tourney. Kenzy Koudelka added 30 points and 26 kills. Other key players in the tourney for Waterloo included Ellie Zweigart (21 points, 48 digs), Sam Juelfs (32 kills) and Julia Briggs (42 assists).

Prior to the tourney win, Waterloo won in two sets Thursday over Civic Memorial and outlasted Jerseyville on the road last Tuesday, 22-25, 33-31, 25-19.

Zweigart, who was recently honored for recording 1,000 career digs, ranks second in the St. Louis area at 6.39 digs per set. 

Megan Huebner ranks third in the St. Louis area at 1.48 blocks per set.

Waterloo hosted Mascoutah on Tuesday, winning 28-26, 25-22. Huebner had seven blocks and Day had 18 assists.

Waterloo hosts Highland on Thursday, and then plays this coming Tuesday at Triad.

Columbia keeps rolling along at 18-1 and recently celebrated longtime head coach Kelly Landgraf winning career match No. 300.

On Monday, the Eagles downed Gibault by the score of 25-23, 25-20. Ava Mathews had 17 assists, and Claire Sandstrom collected 10 kills for Columbia. 

On Saturday, Columbia began a match against Nashville on the turf football field at Mascoutah only to finish in the gym due to rain. The result was a 25-17, 25-20 win for the Eagles as Samantha Spruill finished with nine points and 12 assists.

On Thursday, Columbia won 25-13, 25-11 over Roxana. Spruill led the way with 13 points and 17 assists.

Spruill leads the Eagles this season in both points and assists. Sandstrom is the kills leader, with Maura Kohlenberger tops in blocks.

In fact, Kohlenberger’s 1.58 blocks per game ranks her second in the St. Louis area.

Columbia hosts Freeburg on Thursday. 

Gibault (7-6) was led by Ashlynn Reinhold’s 11 assists and Karmon Grohmann’s seven kills in Monday’s loss to Columbia. 

Last Wednesday, Gibault picked up a 26-24, 25-21 win over Chester, getting seven kills each from Grohmann and Hope Chambers.

Grohmann is the kills leader this season for the Hawks, with Reinhold tops in assists, Claire Kessler leading in blocks, and Aubry Thomas the leader in digs. 

Gibault hosts Carlyle on Wednesday, plays Monday at New Athens, and hosts Roxana this coming Tuesday. 

Valmeyer (3-14-1) lost matches to Athens, Lincolnwood, Greenfield and Winchester-Bluffs  at the New Berlin Pretzel Classic over the weekend. 

Last Wednesday, the Pirates picked up a 25-19, 25-21 victory over Dupo as Kadence Seitz recorded seven kills and Maddi Huddleston had nine assists.

Last Tuesday, it was a 25-16, 24-26, 26-24 win for Valmeyer over First Baptist Academy. Seitz had 10 kills, Kaleigh Hicks had nine kills, and Huddleston finished with 26 assists.

Valmeyer hosts Lebanon on Thursday, hosts Chester this Monday, and plays Tuesday at Carlyle. 

Dupo (3-11-1) hosts Lebanon on Wednesday, plays Monday at First Baptist Academy, and hosts Bunker Hill this coming Tuesday.