Lady Bulldogs Hang With Hamlin in Close Match

The Lady Bulldogs volleyball team went on the road to face the undefeated Lady Chargers of Hamlin onThursday, September 12.  Milbank took the loss 3-0, but final set scores were competitively close at 22-25, 23-25, and 18-25. Ultimately, the Lady Dawgs proved they could hang with some of the best players in the state as the latest polls rank Hamlin at No. 3 in Class A. 

Milbank’s head coach, Nancy Hoeke, explained a few recent tweaks in the lineup might have fueled the team’s hustle and determination. “It’s been messy with the lineup changes, but tonight the girls seemed more comfortable on the court,” Hoeke said. “I liked our competitiveness. We didn’t have many let-ups of energy or pushing to transition from defense into offense.”

Keys to the Game:

• Serving:  Milbank’s serving remained strong throughout the match. The Lady Bulldogs finished 58-of-65 with six aces. Leading the way was Isabella Anderson, who went 15-of-16 with two aces. Adison Pauli also powered off two aces. She went 8-of-9 from the line. Rylee Scoular was 10-of-10, Ella Sandvig, 9-of-10, with one ace; Siera Wenzl, 9-of-11; and Addisyn Krause, 7-of-9, with one ace.

• On the attack: Claire Snaza led Milbank’s offense with six kills on 13-of-15 hitting. Wenzl was not far behind with five kills on 22-of-28 hitting.  Anderson and Pauli both added four kills apiece. Anderson went 23-of-26 hitting, and Pauli was 10-of-14. Kenzie Kooima contributed two kills on 7-of-10 hitting.
• Setting up the offense: Scoular played a critical role. She ended the game with 13 assists on 43-of-44 setting. Krause recorded a perfect 42-of-42 and added six assists.
• For the defense: Sandvig took control with 17 digs to keep Milbank rallying. Wenzl was close behind with 15 digs. Jacy Dexter, Scoular, and Krause each added nine digs to Milbank’s effort.
• At the net: Snaza earned respect with a solo block and two block assists. Krause, Wenzl, Pauli, and Scoular also each recorded one block assist.

“Our girls took this very good Hamlin team right to the end in two of the sets.” Coach Hoeke said.

What’s next? The Lady Bulldogs host Florence-Henry tonight, September 19. Milbank also defeated Waubay-Summit 3-0 on Tuesday night,