Lady Bulldogs Host Nine-Team Volleyball Tourney

The Lady Bulldogs hosted a nine-team volleyball tournament on Saturday, August 25. Senior Katie Wollschlager led the team in digs, racking up 17 in the three sets against the Cossacks.

Bulldog Coach Nancy Hoeke said, “All of the teams seemed to be pretty evenly matched as many of the matches went to a third set and deciding set. All four of our matches went three sets. We didn’t dominate any of the teams we played, but had good matches with all of them.”

The girls started strong in an early morning match against Sioux Valley. They won the first 25-16, lost the second 21-25, and came back to win the third by only by two points at 25-23.

Their second match-up of the day was Langford. Senior Gabbi Cummins led the team in kills against the Lions, racking up 13 in the three matches. Jacey Engebretson led in assists with a total of 18. Hoeke said, “We seemed to have a lot of streaks where we really weren’t getting anything done. Then, we’d go on a streak where we’d pass, set, and attack with ease. So, we’ll continue to work on consistency.”

Landing in the Gold Pool, the Bulldogs took on Miller for their first pool play match-up. They won the first set 25-22, lost 20-25 in the second, and took a third loss 12-25 to the Rustlers. Wollschlager tallied 14 digs during that match and Engebretson was credited with 10 kills and 10 assists.

The Bulldogs’ final match-up of the day was Groton Area. A win at 25-11, a loss, at 18-25, and a win at 25-11 versus the Tigers ended the tournament with Miller coming out on top. Senior Makayla Johnson led Milbank in both kills and digs during the Groton matches, with 11 kills and 15 digs.

Coach Hoeke said, “It was a good day to have some teams come to Milbank we haven’t played before or teams that have never been to Milbank for volleyball such as Ipswich, Miller, Beresford, and Langford. It’s fun to show off our facilities and community to others around the state!”

Next up, the Lady Bulldogs take on the Cardinals. Milbank travels to Deuel on Tuesday, August 28.