Lady Bulldogs Finish With Best Record in Six Seasons

The Lady Bulldogs volleyball team split matches in regional competition to end their 2022 season. Nancy Hoeke, head coach for Milbank, said, “I’m extremely proud of the season we put together and that we finished with a 19-11 record. That’s our best in six years.”  

“My goal was to have a .500 record and we got to .633. Teams, coaches, and fans always want more, and it would’ve been amazing to make it to the SoDak16,” Hoeke continued. “but, these young ladies put together a great story. It’s full of memories on and off the court and they take that with them forever.”

Milbank 3 vs. Tiospa Zina 0
Milbank’s first match of regional play was against Tiospa Zina on Tuesday, November 1. The Lady Bulldogs defeated the Lady Wambdi 3-0. Set scores were 25-14, 25-17, and 25-16.

The girls posted a 92 percent serving average. They hit 66 of 72 with 11 aces. Addisyn Krause led the way at 12 of 12 with two aces. Rachel Schulte went 13 of 16 with four aces. Averie Engebretson hit 10 of 10 with one ace.  Hallie Schulte, 12 of 12; Emily Jo Wollschlager seven of eight; and Rylie Overby, 12 of 14 with four aces.

On the attack, Rachel Schulte had 11 kills on 32 of 41 hitting. Claire Snaza made seven kills on 15 of 20 hitting. She also added the team’s only solo block.  Skyler Skoog had six kills on 22 of 22 hitting; Overby four kills on 13 of 17;  Krause, one kill on 1 of 1; Casside Seezs one kill on 2 of 3 hitting; Isabella Anderson two kills on 5 of 6; and Engebretson one kill on 8 of 9. Engebretson also recorded 29 assists and Krause had three.

H. Schulte recorded the most digs. She made 19. Engebretson had 16. Krause had 11. R. Schulte and Wollschlager each posted eight. Skoog contributed four.

“The team was ready to play. They just got it done,” Hoeke commented. “We were able to get an early lead and kept pressing the gas pedal. It felt good for the ladies to take control of the match.”

Milbank 0 vs. Redfield 3
Milbank’s 0-3 loss to Redfield on Thursday, November 3, officially ended their season. Set scores were  21-25, 21-25, and 20-25. “It just wasn’t our night. We had a few nice runs, but we were always fighting from behind,” Hoeke commented.

The Lady Bulldogs serving percentage was down slightly from their average. They put up 85 percent by hitting 52 of 61 with seven aces. Averie Engebretson had six of the aces on 11 of 14. Hallie Schulte hit a solid 10 of 10. Emily Jo Wollschlager was right behind her at nine of 10. Rachel Schulte was eight of nine. Addisyn Krause seven of eight. Rylie Overby seven of 10 with the other ace.

R. Schulte led the Lady Bulldogs on the attack. She made seven kills on 26 of 31 hitting. Claire Snaza had six kills on 18 of 21 hitting. Skyler Skoog, four kills on 19 of 20 hitting;  Overby, four kills on 16 of 19 hitting; and Casside Seezs, two kills on four of five hitting. Engebretson made two kills on nine of 10. She also claimed 22 assists. Wollschlager made one kill on two of two hitting. Isabella Anderson had one kill on three of four. R. Schulte recorded the most digs. She had 17. H. Schulte added 11, Engebretson, 10; Krause, eight; and Wollschlager, three. R. Schulte, Anderson, Overby, and Seezs secured one assisted block apiece.

“We had the lead or were tied from 2-1 through 18-18, but were not able to finish,” Hoeke commented. “Redfield put on a lot of pressure with constant attack, tough serving, and going at our setter to disrupt our offense. All of that is a lot to overcome and it frustrated us enough to not be able to get into any offensive flow.”Hoeke concluded with, “The eight seniors who contributed to the Bulldog volleyball program over the years will be missed. They are: Jenna Dexter, Averie Engebretson, Laney Forrette, Riley Overby, Hallie Schulte, Casside Seezs, Camryn Wiese, and Emily Jo Wollschlager.