Lady Bulldogs Take It Down to the Wire in Milbank Volleyball Tourney 

The Lady Bulldogs hosted the Milbank Volleyball Tournament on October 14. Milbank finished 3-0 in pool play action by defeating Great Plains Lutheran, Mobridge-Pollock, and Beresford. In the finals match, they faced Hamlin, who took first place in the other pool.  Milbank got close, but Hamlin eked out the win in two at 25-22 and 25-23.

Milbank 2 vs. GPL 0
In round one, Milbank defeated Great Plains Lutheran in two sets. Scores were 25-18 and 25-13.  Nancy Hoeke, head coach for the Lady Bulldogs said, “GPL was a team that had beaten us earlier in the season. I never know how Saturday morning matches are going to go. So in this first match of the day, I was pleased our team was ready to go right from the onset, and took control from start to finish.”

The Lady Bulldogs accrued a stellar serving percentage of 98 percent against GPL. They went 48 of 49 with five aces. Individually, Ella Sandvig hit eight of eight with one ace. Shaylee Schuchard and Addisyn Krause each hit seven of seven. Siera Wenzl was six of six with three aces. Rachel Schulte, four of four; and Skyler Skoog, 16 of 17, with one ace.

Schulte led the team with 11 kills. Skoog made five. Isabella Anderson had four. Claire Snaza and Schuchard made three apiece. Krause was credited with 14 assists. Schulte had six and Anderson made three. 

Sandvig led Milbank with 11 digs. Skoog and Schulte each had nine. Krause had eight. Wenzl added four. In the blocks column, Schuchard put up three assists. Anderson, Skoog, and Schulte, each had one. 

Milbank 2 vs. Mobridge-Pollock 1
In round two against Mobridge-Pollock, Milbank won in three sets. Scores included 25-22, 17-25, and 27-25.  Coach Hoeke said, “This was an incredible match with big comebacks and players stepping up and making plays. We lost to MP earlier in the season and felt they were a good team that we competed with. I know the girls were motivated to take them on again.”

“We dug ourselves a hole in the first set going down 12-17. We found a way to get more mentally tough and believe we could play at a higher level, working harder. Hoeke continued. “Bit by bit we tied it up by making plays and with the help of a few Mobridge errors,” Hoeke added. “After losing the second set, the third was a thriller to the end, holding off five match points to tie 24-24 and finally getting the “W” at  27-25.”

She listed the highlights of the round: “Among many, there were awesome defensive digs by Rachel Schulte, Siera Wenzl, and Addisyn Krause that kept the match alive. The net play by Claire Snaza was also a factor in the outcome. I was very proud of the team for their tenacity.”

The Lady Bulldogs were on target for 65 of 69 serving to finish with a 94 percent average. They collected 11 aces.  Individually, Wenzl went 13 of 13 with one ace. Sandvig was 12 of 12 with three aces. Skyler Skoog, 11 of 11, with one ace. Schulte, nine of nine, with two aces. Rylee Scoular hit one of one. Schuchard went nine of 10. Krause knocked down 10 of 13 with four aces. 

Skoog put up 12 kills. Schulte added 10. Anderson and Snaza had two apiece. Schuchard had one. Krause and Schulte each posted 13 assists. Ella Sandvig amassed 32 digs. Schulte had 14. Krause had 11. Wenzl had eight. Skoog made six, and Abby Pilatzki had two. In blocking, Snaza had three assists. Schuchard and Anderson had two assists apiece. Schulte, Skoog, and Krause each had one assist.

Milbank 2 vs. Beresford 0
Against Beresford, Milbank took the win in two straight sets. Scores were 25-21 and 25-15.The Lady Bulldogs rate of serving continued to be outstanding. They hit 46 of 49 with four aces to finish at 94 percent. Individually, Sandvig, was 17 of 17 with an ace. Skoog was six of six; Schulte, three of three; Krause, 12 of 13 with three aces; Schuchard, six of seven; and  Wenzl, two of three. 

Skoog led the team with 11 kills. Schulte had six. Schuchard had four. Snaza added two. Anderson made one. Krause put up 13 assists. Schulte had nine. Belle Pauli contributed one. Sandvig posted 13 digs.  Schulte added 10. Krause and Skoog each had eight. Wenzl had four. In blocking, Schuchard had a solo block, and Snaza and Skoog had two assists apiece. 

Finals MatchMilbank 0 vs. Hamlin 2
In the first-place match, Hamlin edged out Milbank for the win. Set scores were 25-22 and 25-23. Milbank again exhibited their prowess in serving. The Lady Bulldogs went 45 of 46 with one ace for a 97 percent average.

Individually, Sandvig was seven of seven with an ace. Krause  went seven of seven. Skoog and Schulte were each six of six. Wenzl was seven of eight.On the attack, Schulte made 12 kills. Skoog made eight. Schuchard and Anderson each made two. Krause, Snaza, and Hailey Zinter made one apiece. Krause also had 14 assists and Schulte had eight. Wenzl chalked up 12 digs. Schulte followed with 11. Sandvig posted nine, and Skoog had seven. Snaza made two assists on blocks. Anderson added one assist. “It was good to have a chance to play Hamlin again after they beat us earlier in the season,” Hoeke commented. “We played them close, but because it was our fourth match of the day, we didn’t have quite enough left to play our best volleyball.”