Lady Cards post a 1-2 mark for the week
RANDOLPH — The Randolph Lady Cardinals took two tough defeats to the chin last week before exiting the week with a strong win.
The Lady Cards now stand at 9-11 overall with two weeks left in the regular season.
The Cardinals fell 3-1 (25-22, 25-19, 25-27, 25-18) at home to Creighton, lost 2-1 (25-17, 19-25, 25-16) against Bloomfield and beat hosts Winside 2-0 (25-21, 25-17) in a triangular.
The Creighton loss really stung, coach Rob Engel said.
“We had a lead in the first set and then let it slip away when they scored the last five points to win 25-22,” coach Engel said. “The girls came back and won a great third set but in the fourth set we let them finish the set on a 7-1 run. We need to get better at closing out those close sets.”
Against Creighton, Bailey Beal (16 kills), Ella Scott (six kills), Erin Engel (26 assists) and Grace Nordhues (23 assists) led the way.
The team didn’t get a fast start in their first match of the day on Saturday.
“Saturday morning had been good to us so far this season, but we were a little flat and did not play our best game against Bloomfield. We had a good hitting game out of Ella Scott and Bailey Beal but made too many unforced errors that cost us. We were able to come back and get the win against a much-improved team in Winside, but we need to figure some things out and make a push late in the season.”
Scott (12 kills), Beal (11 assists, five blocks) and Erin Engel (27 assists) paced the attack against Bloomfield.
In the Winside win, Beal had six kills.
“We love how this team plays hard all the time and never quits, but just need to execute better and make the most of our opportunities,” Rob Engel said.
The Cardinals were to play only Hartington-Newcastle this week, Tuesday evening.
One thing the coach has enjoyed seeing is the rise of Erin Engel at the setter position.
“She has really grown this year as a leader,” Coach Engel said of his three-year starter at setter. “She is setting all the way around now and is getting used to playing the front row this year, blocking and attacking is new but she is getting better all the time, she makes good decisions and loves to spread the ball around and get it to our hitters in good position.
“Her serving is one thing that has really gotten better, she has always served a good percentage, but this year they are tougher serves and she’s generating more aces.”
Erin Engel rated the last week of play a “five” on a 10 scale as she notes their big thing is getting more consistent with passing and serving.
“It’s like your line in football: If you don’t have the blocking, you won’t get the pass up,” she said. “If we can’t get a serve over the net or a pass on target, we can’t get a swing and no swing means no kill which means no points.
“We sometimes get in our own heads. Sometimes we want to be so perfect that we overthink it too much and don’t stay present in the moment.”
Erin Engel is surrounded with plenty of attack options in Beal, Scott and Jacey Bartels to name a few and admits the team is one that needs to be in rhythm to excel and that starts with confidence.
“These last two weeks we need to leave it out on the floor and play every point like it were our last,” she said. “You have to have the mentality that the shot will go in. We have to have the mentality that ‘I am going to make this serve, this pass, this set,’ and not be ‘I hope I can get this over, I hope I don’t miss.’”
Erin Engel also said it can all end with one positive case of COVID-19, just like last year with the Lady Cardinals toward the end of last fall when a promising campaign was set off the track with late quarantines.
The good thing is this team has players that like playing with each other despite the highs and lows.
“Sometimes we don’t always click (experience-wise) as we should, but I love my team,” Erin Engel said.
Randolph 22 19 27 18
Creighton 25 25 25 25
KILLS
Randolph - Bailey Beal, 16; Ella Scott, 6; Emma Munter, 5; Jacey Bartels, 5; Erin Engel, 3.
ACE SERVES
Randolph -Erin Engel, 2; Arial Fye, 1; Jacey Bartels, 1; Bailey Beal, 1.
BLOCKS
Randolph - Bailey Beal, 2; Emma Munter, 1; Brianna Sporleder, 1; Erin Engel, 1.
DIGS Randolph - Grace Nordhues, 23; Ella Scott,
Randolph - Grace Nordhues, 23; Ella Scott, 17; Jacey Bartels, 9; Ariel Fye, 7; Emma Munter, 3; Erin Engel, 3; Bailey Beal, 3.
SET ASSISTS
Randolph - Erin Engel, 26; Ariel Fye, 1; Jacey Bartels, 1; Grace Norhues, 1.
Randolph 17 25 16
Bloomfield 25 19 25
KILLS
Randolph - Ella Scott, 12; Bailey Beal, 11; Jacey Bartels, 3; Erin Engel, 2; Brianna Sporleder, 1; Emma Munter, 1.
ACE SERVES
Randolph - Ella Scott, 2; Erin Engel, 1.
SET ASSISTS
Randolph - Erin Engel, 27; Ariel Fye, 1.
BLOCKS
Randolph - Bailey Beal, 5; Erin Engel, 3; Emma Munter, 2; Jacey Bartels, 1; Brianna Sporleder, 1.
DIGS
Randolph - Ella Scott, 10; Grace Nordhues, 10; Jacey Bartels, 6; Ariel Fye, 4; Erin Engel, 3; Bailey Beal, 1.
Randolph 25 25
Winside 21 17
KILLS
Randolph - Bailey Beal, 6; Erin Engel, 3; Ella Scott, 3; Emma Munter, 1; Jacey Bartels, 1.
ACE SERVES
Randolph - Emma Munter,3; Ella Scott, 1; Jacey Bartels, 1.
SET ASSISTS
Randolph - Erin Engel, 11; Grace Nordhues, 1.
BLOCKS
Randolph - Bailey Beal, 1; Erin Engel, 1;Brianna Sporleder, 1.
DIGS
Randolph - Ella Scott, 8; Erin Engel, 7; Grace Nordhues, 7; Jacey Bartels, 3; Ariel Fye, 3; Bailey Beal, 1.
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