Volleyball Recap: Gabby Wheeler and Avery Hoock Secure Win for Merrill + How To Watch

It was a Battle of the Birds when Merrill took on Northland Pines on Tuesday. The Bluejays came out on top against the Eagles by a score of 3-1. The Bluejays haven't had any issues with the Eagles recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.

Merrill had a slow start but a hot finish: after dropping the first set, they turned around to win the next three. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 23-25, 25-20, 27-25, 26-24.

Gabby Wheeler

Digs (Career)

09/16/25 @ Northland Pines	16
10/12/24 @ Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln	13
09/19/24 @ Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln	13
10/12/24 vs Marshfield	12
10/10/24 vs Stevens Point	10

Leading Merrill to victory were Avery Hoock and Gabby Wheeler. Hoock had 25 digs and three aces, while Wheeler had 16 digs. Those 16 digs gave Wheeler a new career-high.

They weren't the only good servers: Merrill was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 20 aces. They are 6-1 when they serve at least ten aces.

Despite the loss, Northland Pines still got an impressive performance from Eden Smith, who had 32 digs. Smith is crushing it when it comes to digs: she's had at least 11 every time she's taken the court this season.

Merrill now has a winning record of 11-10. As for Northland Pines, they moved to 14-7 with that loss, which also ended their four-match winning streak.

Merrill wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next match, a 3-0 win against Antigo on the 23rd. As for Northland Pines, they have also already played their next contest, a 3-1 defeat against Medford on the 23rd.