Kenna Bauer Smashes They Ball Over The Net During Wolverine Volleyball Action In Paullina Tuesday Night Against Hinton.

Lydia Hustedt Serves The Ball During Wolverine Volleyball Action In Paullina Tuesday Night Against Hinton.

Grace Fuhrman Goes For A Kiil During Wolverine Volleyball Action In Paullina Tuesday Night Against Hinton.

Lydia Hustedt Bumps The Ball During Wolverine Volleyball Action In Paullina Tuesday Night Against Hinton.

Alyssa Van Beek Guards The Net During Wolverine Volleyball Action In Paullina Tuesday Night Against Hinton.

South O’Brien excited the home crowd August 31 at Paullina by winning the first set over a talented Hinton group 25-23. The Blackhawks came back to win the next three, but the resolute Wolverines gave the visitors all they could handle in two of those sets. The winning scores for Hinton were 25-22, 25-15 and 25-21 in the War Eagle Conference opener for both teams.
“The girls showed their determination and fight,” stated South O’Brien head coach Cortney Roskamp. “There were many moments that we were trailing and they chose to push forward as a team and find a way. They were aggressive and their grit really showed. That’s something we talked about a lot last year and I’m starting to see the lesson take hold a bit this year. I hope it keeps going.”
The Wolverines handed some valuable points to Hinton by failing to put 16 of their serves in play. That, among other miscues, played a big part in the home team’s inability to extend the match. Said Roskamp, “I think the unforced errors decided the match in Hinton’s favor. We did a lot of amazing things from digging to serving to attacking the ball and taking smart shots, but we also had some mental mistakes and errors that just should not have occurred. I think that would have been the difference in some of those sets that would have allowed us to push Hinton to a fifth set.”
The home team put down 43 kills. The leader in that category was Alyssa Van Beek with 12. “Alyssa had a standout night,” remarked Roscamp. “I think last week at the Spencer tournament some nerves came into play as it was the first games of the season. Last night she seemed more focused and it paid off at the right moments.”
South O’Brien notched 71 digs in the match and intercepted many balls before they hit the floor. “Willa Sickelka and Abby Schreck had an outstanding night,” commented their coach. “They really put on a defensive show. Those two young ladies have no fear in pursuing a ball and they are bound and determined to keep that ball in play at all costs. They are a solid foundation for our team and their teammates recognize and respect that.” Sickelka accumulated a team-high 27 digs and among Schreck’s many defensive plays were five digs.
Setting up Van Beek and the other hitters, Riley Draper recorded 30 assists. From the service line Sickelka was 18-of-19 and Draper 12-of-13.
South O’Brien Stats
Kills-Errors-Attempts (Kill Efficiency): Team 43-22-127 (.165), Abby Schreck 0-1-1 (-1.000), Riley Draper 4-1-14 (.214), Kenna Bauer 10-3-25 (.280), Grace Fuhrman 7-4-27 (.111), Hustedt 6-5-23 (.043), Alyssa VanBeek 12-3-25 (.360), Brooklyn Edwards 1-1-2 (.000), Maddie Johnson 3-4-10 (-.100).
Assists: Team 39, Draper 30, Bauer 4, Hustedt, Willa Sickelka 2, Schreck 1.
Digs: Team 71, Sickelka 27, Draper 14, Edwards 10, Hustedt 8, Schreck 5, Johnson 4, Bauer, Fuhrman, Van Beek 1.
Blocks: Bauer, Fuhrman, Hustedt, Johnson 1 solo.
Serving (Efficiency): Team 70-86 (.814) 6 aces, Draper 12-13 (.923) 1 ace, Bauer 10-14 (.714) 2 aces, Fuhrman 11-13 (.846) 2 aces, Hustedt 7-10 (.700), Edwards 4-6 (.667), Johnson 8-11 (.727), Sickelka 18-19 (.947) 1 ace.