RHS girls knock off undefeated Wausa, fall to N-O
RANDOLPH — The Randolph Lady Cardinals volleyball team continues to make inroads this fall and last week was not going to change that pathway.
Yes, the girls fell 3-1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-19, 25-19) at home to Neligh-Oakdale, but they were able to bounce back with a key district 3-1 (25-14, 23-25, 25- 16, 25-15) win at Wausa last Thursday evening.
“Against Neligh, we got out to a bad start and just couldn’t recover,” Randolph head coach Rob Engel said. “We just had one of those nights when everything was just a step off and we made way too many unforced errors that kept us from playing the way we normally do.
“The Wausa game was a great team performance, everyone contributed, and we really had it rolling most of the night. It was a great way to bounce back against a good team. “We played a great all-around game and our serving was probably the best it has been all year in terms of pace and placement.”
In the Randolph loss, sophomore Bailey Beal had 10 kills while Keely Pinkelman and Jaiden Taylor each added seven kills apiece. Natalie Munter added 10 digs and Abby Schmitt had a team-high 14 sets.
Against Wausa, Beal and Pinkelman had 12 kills each while Grace Eledge added four aces and had eight digs as did Munter and Erin Engel had 20 assists.
The 5-foot-11 Beal has continued to put up big numbers as her game grows with every day of maturity.
She has 79 kills and 33 blocks over 34 sets played which are very solid numbers for a deep team.
Beal played as a freshman who was a part of the rotation and has slowly grown into a bigger piece of the attack.
“Bailey played quite a bit last year and as a freshman she was athletic but raw,” Coach Engel said. “This year she has really learned the game and is starting to become a much better all-around player. She’s gotten stronger and really jumps well.
“Bailey can definitely take over the game for stretches at a time with her blocking and hitting power.”
The uptick in her ability and play has Beal thinking bigger and better possibilities during the course of her future.
“I am really excited about how much I’ve grown throughout the year and I believe I can grow even more during my junior and senior years,” Beal said. “(The pandemic) did help. I didn’t know if we would play or not, so I tried to practice as much as I could because you didn’t know if our season would be taken away by COVID. I would practice more: I’d go outside and work on my passing and hitting.”
Beal believes her mental game has improved but knows her place among a team of players who are “very good and know how to work together.”
She also really likes how she is hitting but wants to work more on her game.
“Hitting is my favorite part of the game,” Beal said. “I like when I get the perfect pass for the perfect set so I can spike it down.
“Right now, our team is doing pretty good this year. We definitely have had a big jump from last year. We are more dedicated.”
Randolph hosted a triangular Tuesday against Wakefield and Walthill and Saturday it heads to the Elkhorn Valley tournament. The Lady Cardinals will face the hosts, St. Paul and Boyd County in pool play.
“Saturday’s tournament is loaded with good teams,” Engel said. “We start with the host school who are always well coached. Then we play one of the top-rated teams in C1 in St. Paul: They are so big and athletic, and it will be a fun challenge for our kids.
“Boyd County is usually a pretty scrappy and athletic bunch. We’re looking forward to challenging ourselves with good competition.”
The team continues to trend in the right direction despite all the challenges on and around the court in the age of a pandemic.
“I think it’s just become part of life and something you just deal with and put it out of your mind,” Engel said.
KILLS Wausa - Alexa Cunningham, 8; Morgan Kleinschmit, 4; Brooke Kumm, 3; Abrielle Nelson, 3; Hunter West, 3; Ali Lundberg, 1; Charlie Price, 1. Randolph - Bailey Beal, 12; Keely Pinkelman, 12; Natalie Munter, 6; Abby Schmit, 5; Jaiden Taylor, 5; Erin Engel, 1.
ACE SERVES Wausa - Morgan Kleinschmit, 4; Leah Bloomquist, 1; Hunter West, 1; Ali Lundberg, 1. Randolph - Gracie Eledge, 4; Erin Engel, 2; Abby Schmit, 1; Natalie Munter, 1; Keely Pinkelman, 1; Jaiden Taylor, 1.
BLOCKS Wausa - A. Cunningham, 4; Ali Lundverg, 3; Morgan Kleinschmit, 2; Brooke Kumm, 1; Hunter West, R. Kleinschmit, 1. Randolph - Bailey Beal, 2.
DIGS Wausa - Abby Kaiser, 12; Brooke Kumm, 12; Hunter West, 7; Clara Schindler, 6; Morgan Kleinschmit, 5; Charlie Price, 4; Abrielle Nelson, 4; Ali Lundberg, 2. Randolph - Natalie Munter, 8; Gracie Eledge, 8; Erin Engel, 3; Jaiden Taylor, 3; Aerial Fye, 3; Abby Schmit, 2; Keely Pinkelman, 2; Emmalee Harder, 2.
SET ASSISTS Wausa - Clara Schindler, 19; Jaide Kaiser, 3; Ali Lundberg, 1. Randolph - Erin Engel, 20; Abby Schmit, 18; Jaiden Taylor, 1; Jenna Albers, 1; Emmalee Harder, 1.
KILLS Randolph - Bailey Beal, 10; Jaiden Taylor, 7; Keely Pinkelman, 7; Abby Schmit, 3; Emmalee Harder, 2; Natalie Munter, 1; Aerial Fye, 1.
ACE SERVES Randolph - Abby Schmit, 3; Gracie Eledge, 2; Keely Pinkelman, 1; Jaiden Taylor, 1.
BLOCKS Randolph - Bailey Beal, 2; Natalie Munter, 1; Jaiden Taylor, 1.
DiGS Randolph - Natalie Munter, 10; Keely Pinkelman, 8; Gracie Eledge, 7; Jaiden Taylor, 6; Aerial Fye, 5; Abby Schmit, 2; Jenna Albers, 2; Erin Engel, 1; Emmalee Harder, 1.
SET ASSISTS Randolph - Abby Schmit, 14; Erin Engel, 11; Natalie Munter, 1.
Stay in the know!
To get news alerts on your cell phone, get the Cedar County News app in the ITunes store or in the Google Play Store.
