Lady Vikes keep rolling along
WAUSA — This whole new positive attitude thing is kind of working out in a big way for the Wausa Lady Vikings volleyball team.
Wausa played only one match last week but they took advantage of the lighter load and rolled to a 3-1 (11-25, 25-14, 25-14, 25-15) win at Bloomfield for another win over the Lady Bees this young season.
Reghan Bloomquist had seven kills while Ali Lundberg added five kills, Hunter West served four aces, Morgan Kleinschmit had 10 digs and Clara Schindler finished with 24 aces.
“We started out a little slow in game one but got ourselves motivated for the last three sets and played pretty well,” Wausa head coach Greg Conn said. “This was the second time we have faced Bloomfield and I thought they outhustled us in set one and took it to us. I was very pleased how we responded in sets two through four.”
Captains like senior Charlie Price have played a pivotal role in seeing Wausa to already half the number of the team’s 2019 total wins (10) and looking for even more.
“We’re pretty stacked,” Price said. “If the starters aren’t playing well, we can take them out right away and mix things up on the court. We are doing pretty well because we all have a really good bond.”
The interchangeable parts and the ability to mix and match can’t hurt and the fact the team is able to connect mentally has made the Lady Vikings that much tougher for teams like Bloomfield.
“We had played them before, so we knew how they were going to play and we didn’t start off very intense,” Price said. “So, coach switched the outsides and we kept up the positivity. It worked out really well.”
Price has admittedly seen herself and the team grow as a unit in terms of trust and reliability.
“No matter who messes up, we don’t get mad at each other,” Price said. “In the years past, we would get mad and our heads would go down, but the group we have is so bonded.
“I worked hard in the winter and the summer and I’ve done everything I could to get better. I have really just been better focused.”
Price admits that in previous years there may have been a slight nonchalance toward the sport, but now with the team tighter than ever, the team is pushing itself even more to reach the heights.
“Doing the little things right has shown how good a team and individual players we can be,” Price said. “I know for the seniors we didn’t want to have another losing season, so that was a big part of (their growth). Then we played Wynot during the summer and we only lost by two points when in other years they would have blown us out. When we saw how good we did with only half our team there, we were like ‘dang, we could be pretty good.’
“I love the results, but we need to work on serve receive – we’ve done way better this year than we have before, but we have to keep that up.”
Wausa was looking to make it a lucky seven in a row when they hosted Plainview on Tuesday before playing host to Randolph Thursday night in a district showdown.
“Every team on our schedule is tough and that’s what I expect this week with both Plainview and Randolph,” Conn said. “Plainview is down a little this year but will always compete hard. Randolph is the same way. Rob Engel is a good coach and will have his kids ready to go.”
KILLS Wausa - R. Bloomquist, 7; Ali Lundberg, 5; Hunter West, 4; Morgan Kleinschmit, 3; Brooke Kumm, 2; A. Cunningham, 2; Abrielle Nelson, 1.
ACE SERVES Wausa - Hunter West, 4; Clara Schindler, 3; Leigh Bloomquist, 3; Brooke Kumm, 1.
BLOCKS Wausa - A Cunningham, 2; Morgan Kleinschmit, 2; Ali Lundberg, 1; Brooke Kumm, 1.
DIGS Wausa - Morgan Kleinschmit, 10; Hunter West, 8; Brooke Kumm, 7; Abby Kaiser, 5; Leigh Bloomquist, 4; Clara Schindler, 2; Abrielle Nelson, 1; Ali Lundberg, 1; Charlie Price, 1.
SET ASSISTS Wausa - Clara Schindler, 24.
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