Huskies Battle Longhorns in SoDak16
By Joslyn Schrank on November 14, 2018
Huskies fell to the Lady Longhorns Tuesday Nov. 6 in Wall. The Huskies battled the Longhorns, taking them into five sets, but falling short 15-17 in the last set.
“I thought we played very well, even if it didn’t fall our way,” senior Katelyn Kotas said. “If we could’ve had a few of those calls go our way, it might’ve been a different game. We are all very thankful for all the people who came to support us. It’s been a great ride with these girls.”
To start off the first set, the Huskies served against the Lady Longhorns. The Lady Longhorns took the first point, but the Huskies took possession of the second point. The Huskies let the Longhorns make a little lead but started to pick up the intensity after the 15th point, only allowing the Longhorns to win by two points, 23-25.
The Huskies quickly shook off the first set, stepping out onto the court with a mindset of taking a set from Faith. The Huskies still allowed Faith to go on a little bit of a run but quickly put an end to that, allowing the Huskies to take the second set, 25-23.
Starting the third set, the Huskies had a tremendous amount of energy from winning the second set. They came out with energy, confidence and focus, keeping Faith to a minimum amount of points they could score in a rotation. The Huskies took the third set from the Longhorns, 25-20.
The Lady Longhorns stepped onto the court, having picked up their defense and offense from the past two sets. The Huskies allowed their high intensity to get carried away, which allowed Faith to push a few more points than the Huskies wanted. The Lady Longhorns took the fourth set from the Huskies, 17-25.
The Huskies lost the coin toss, which allowed them to have the first chance at setting up the ball for a point, and the Huskies did just that, using the opportunity that was placed in front of them. The Huskies managed to pull ahead with a lead, 10-6 against the Lady Longhorns. The Huskies fell into a rut, allowing the Longhorns to score a few points too many in a row. The Huskies fell short to the Longhorns after a tough battle, 15-17.
“I thought we played our hearts out,” sophomore Kerrigan Schultz said. “I think we left it all out on the floor. I could not be prouder of the way we played this season or our game. I’m going to miss playing with all of our seniors, and I hope to have another run at the state tournament next year.”
Senior Sydney Hoffman led the team with kills, racking up 14 with one block. Freshman Julia Weber added 13 kills offensively for the Huskies. Kotas pitched in seven kills and 18 digs defensively. Juniors Haley Schulz threw in three kills and three blocks, Kennedee Weber added six kills at the net and Sophia Potter pitched in 16 assists, 11 digs and three aces. Schultz contributed ten digs and two aces, while leading the Huskies in assists with 26. Senior Joslyn Schrank threw in 25 digs for the Huskies.
“We had a really fun, successful season,” head coach Mary Ernster. “We grew and got better throughout the season and were playing our best volleyball at the end. One of the biggest successes I think was the ability of our seniors to be so inclusive with our younger classmen and allow them to really feel a part of the team in whatever way they were contributing. It is unique to have such a large group of seniors and to have that group embrace so many of the younger players, allowing them to feel a valued part of the team. I feel privileged to get to work with them all. I will miss these seniors dearly. As a whole, this team worked so well together and while we may feel our season was cut a little short, I could not be prouder of the effort, focus and intensity they brought to every game. They are a special group.”
The Huskies ended their regular season as first in Region 5, 13th in the state going into the SoDak 16 and ended their whole season with a 22-7 record.
“I thought we played very well, even if it didn’t fall our way,” senior Katelyn Kotas said. “If we could’ve had a few of those calls go our way, it might’ve been a different game. We are all very thankful for all the people who came to support us. It’s been a great ride with these girls.”
To start off the first set, the Huskies served against the Lady Longhorns. The Lady Longhorns took the first point, but the Huskies took possession of the second point. The Huskies let the Longhorns make a little lead but started to pick up the intensity after the 15th point, only allowing the Longhorns to win by two points, 23-25.
The Huskies quickly shook off the first set, stepping out onto the court with a mindset of taking a set from Faith. The Huskies still allowed Faith to go on a little bit of a run but quickly put an end to that, allowing the Huskies to take the second set, 25-23.
Starting the third set, the Huskies had a tremendous amount of energy from winning the second set. They came out with energy, confidence and focus, keeping Faith to a minimum amount of points they could score in a rotation. The Huskies took the third set from the Longhorns, 25-20.
The Lady Longhorns stepped onto the court, having picked up their defense and offense from the past two sets. The Huskies allowed their high intensity to get carried away, which allowed Faith to push a few more points than the Huskies wanted. The Lady Longhorns took the fourth set from the Huskies, 17-25.
The Huskies lost the coin toss, which allowed them to have the first chance at setting up the ball for a point, and the Huskies did just that, using the opportunity that was placed in front of them. The Huskies managed to pull ahead with a lead, 10-6 against the Lady Longhorns. The Huskies fell into a rut, allowing the Longhorns to score a few points too many in a row. The Huskies fell short to the Longhorns after a tough battle, 15-17.
“I thought we played our hearts out,” sophomore Kerrigan Schultz said. “I think we left it all out on the floor. I could not be prouder of the way we played this season or our game. I’m going to miss playing with all of our seniors, and I hope to have another run at the state tournament next year.”
Senior Sydney Hoffman led the team with kills, racking up 14 with one block. Freshman Julia Weber added 13 kills offensively for the Huskies. Kotas pitched in seven kills and 18 digs defensively. Juniors Haley Schulz threw in three kills and three blocks, Kennedee Weber added six kills at the net and Sophia Potter pitched in 16 assists, 11 digs and three aces. Schultz contributed ten digs and two aces, while leading the Huskies in assists with 26. Senior Joslyn Schrank threw in 25 digs for the Huskies.
“We had a really fun, successful season,” head coach Mary Ernster. “We grew and got better throughout the season and were playing our best volleyball at the end. One of the biggest successes I think was the ability of our seniors to be so inclusive with our younger classmen and allow them to really feel a part of the team in whatever way they were contributing. It is unique to have such a large group of seniors and to have that group embrace so many of the younger players, allowing them to feel a valued part of the team. I feel privileged to get to work with them all. I will miss these seniors dearly. As a whole, this team worked so well together and while we may feel our season was cut a little short, I could not be prouder of the effort, focus and intensity they brought to every game. They are a special group.”
The Huskies ended their regular season as first in Region 5, 13th in the state going into the SoDak 16 and ended their whole season with a 22-7 record.
