Lady Bulldogs Volleyball Team Wins Two

Milbank 3 vs. Clark-Willow Lake 1

The Lady Bulldogs volleyball team flattened the Lady Cyclones of Clark-Willow Lake on Thursday, August 31. Milbank lost the first set 21-25, but moved on to pick up three straight sets at 25-19, 25-22, and 25-19.

Nancy Hoeke, head coach for Milbank commented, “Clark pushed us harder compared to the first two matches we had played (this season). They had a tougher defense and a more unpredictable offense with tips, pushes, and good swings. They were scoring points in the middle, especially in the first set. We made a defensive adjustment, but it was still difficult.

“Clark had a good offense going, and we weren’t getting those balls,” Hoeke observed. “Once you get behind, you can’t make errors or you don’t catch up, and we had a few too many errors. We closed the gap, but couldn’t quite get there.”

The Lady Bulldogs’ serving, however, was consistently strong. Milbank nailed 87 of 95 for 92 percent with 12 aces. Individually, Shaylee Schuchard went 19 of 19 with two aces; Ella Sandvig–14 of 14 with one ace; Skyler Skoog–14 of 14; Siera Wenzl–13 of 15 with two aces Rachel Schulte–11-13 with three aces, and Addisyn Krause–16 of 20 with four aces.

Schulte led the attack with 19 kills. Skoog was close behind with 16. Claire Snaza made four. Schuchard, Wenzl, and Isabella Anderson each recorded two. Schulte and Krause took on the setting duties and amassed a total of 43 assists. Schulte had 22 and Krause had 21.

Sandvig led the defense.with 37 digs. Skoog finished with 32. Wenzl and Schulte each added 17. Krause had 15, and Schuchard contributed 13. Snaza was the block queen. She recorded four solo blocks.

“I liked our willingness and ability to compete,” Hoeke stated. “We were behind three or four points a couple of times in set three. It was tied at 22-22, and we went to work to finish earning three straight points. I’m proud and excited about how the girls responded and stepped up!”

Milbank 3 vs Deuel 0

In another exciting volleyball match up, the Lady Bulldogs dismantled Deuel in straight sets on Tuesday, August 29. Set scores included 25-18, 25-11, and 25-13. “The girls really came out and took care of business,”  Coach Hoeke said, “In all three sets we got good leads which helped build our confidence.” 

Hoeke called Milbank’s serving, “Impressive!” At 72 of 73 it was close to perfect at 98 percent with 11 aces. Individually, Ella Sandvig put up 21 of 21 with four aces. Siera Wenzl –16 of 16 with one ace. Addisyn Krause– 10 of 10 with two aces; Skyler Skoog– eight of eight with one ace; Rachel Schulte– four of four; and Shaylee Schuchard– 13 of 14 with three aces. 

On the attack, Schulte led the charge with 10 kills. Skoog added eight kills, and Claire Snaza contributed three. Schuchard and Isabella Anderson also contributed to the offense’s effort. They recorded one kill apiece.  Krause and Schulte combined for a total of 20 assists.

For the defense, Wenzl, Sandvig, and Schulte led the way. Wenzl and Sandvig each produced 17 digs, and Schulte made 12. Skoog was credited with 11. Schuchard added six.  Krause had four. Snaza had the most blocks. She made five. Skoog had two, and Schulte, Anderson, and Krause each had one. All were assisted.