The Lady Bulldogs hosted the Deubrook Dolphins in non-conference high school volleyball action Tuesday, October 8, at the Milbank Armory. Milbank suffered a 3-1... Dolphins Attack Lady Bulldogs

The Lady Bulldogs hosted the Deubrook Dolphins in non-conference high school volleyball action Tuesday, October 8, at the Milbank Armory. Milbank suffered a 3-1 loss and now holds a 7-11 record this season.

“I thought we would compete better against Deubrook,” stated head coach Nancy Hoeke. “Deubrook mixed it up a lot between hits and tips, which made defense challenging. It seemed like we never could get into a flow with our offense.”

Milbank soared ahead early in the game at 6-3. Deubrook inched their way back and took over the lead at 10-14. The Lady Bulldogs evened the score at 22-22 with two kills apiece by Jaecy Engebretson and Tracy Pillatzki. Engebretson sneaked in a tip-kill to push Milbank ahead 23-22. Deubrook came back with a kill to knot the score again at 23-23. A Milbank error and a Dolphin kill gave Deubrook the 23-25 first set win.

In the second set, the Lady Bulldogs took another early 7-3 lead with a kill by Elsie Rogers and an ace by Hallie Schulte. Deubrook answered and took over the lead at 11-12. Milbank then committed eight consecutive errors to fall further behind at 11-20. Milbank fell 16-25.

Milbank turned things around in the third set. Substitutions were made and the Lady Bulldogs’ hitting was on fire. They surged ahead 11-4 to start the set. Milbank went on a six-point run to end the set at 25-10. Three Deubrook errors, an ace and a kill by Engebretson, and a block by Casside Seezs secured the win.

“The third set was a fun surprise,” said Hoeke. “I felt we needed something different to change things up – to get the players to focus on something other than losing the first two sets. So, with three new players on the court, it forced them to communicate and help the “new” players succeed. They weren’t able to stay focused on their own frustration or disappointment. And -bonus – it worked out, and we won the set.”

In the fourth set, unforced errors by Milbank combined with kills by the Dolphins gave Deubrook a 4-10 edge. Milbank went on two runs late in the set, but the deficit was too much to overcome. The Lady Bulldogs dropped 18-25.

J. Engebretson led the Milbank attack with 26 kills on 69-79 hitting, three aces on 9-9 serving, seven assists on 31-32 setting, and 17 digs. Pillatzki chipped in with five kills on 10-14 hitting, one ace on 5-5 serving, and seven digs. Seezs followed with three kills on 14-16 hitting, 5-5 serving, four digs, and one solo block. Madi Thue added three kills on 13-17 hitting and 10 digs. Rogers also tallied three kills on 8-15 hitting, one dig, and one solo block.

Also contributing for the Lady Bulldogs were: Cassidy Christians, 16 assists on 53-53 setting, 5-5 serving, and 20 digs; Averie Engebretson, nine assists on 42-45 setting, two kills on 3-3 hitting,10-10 serving, and nine digs; Amy Nelson, five assists on 29-29 setting, one kill on 6-7 hitting, two aces on 11-12 serving, and nine digs; Schulte, one ace on 11-11 serving, 4-5 hitting, one assist on 7-8 setting, and 32 digs; and Siri Bien, two aces on 13-13 serving, 3-6 hitting, and three digs.

Photo – Casside Seezs

Staff Writer

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