Huskies Volleyball Season Comes to an End
By Sydney Hoffman on November 15, 2017
Bridgewater-Emery Huskies volleyball team (seed 14) matched with the Warner Monarchs (seed three) Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. in Madison. The Monarchs finished their regular season with a record of 25-4 with losses from Madison, Western Christian and two from North Western. They defeated the Huskies in a three-set match, advancing their team into the state tournament.
"I knew going into the game on Tuesday night that it was now or never. We had to play a tough team which meant that we had to keep up with them the whole time. I personally think that we played with them at the beginning of the first two sets, but then the Monarchs started getting momentum and knew our weak spots,” senior Andrea Gorriz said, “Overall, we fought hard, but it was a tough loss. Being a senior, it was hard for me to accept that it was my last volleyball game, but I learned many things throughout my high school volleyball career. You just must have determination every time you step onto the court. I will miss this sport, but I'll miss playing with these girls more than anything.”
The Huskies began the first set right along with the Monarchs. Further into the set, the monarchs took a large run and won 25-13.
The second set began similar to the first. At the beginning, the two teams went point for point with each other. The Huskies peaked ahead early in the set, but once again, the Monarchs hammered their quick offense down leading to their second win 25-14.
Set three started off with a lack of confidence from the Huskies, and the Monarchs did not let up. With a rough start, the Huskies decided they did not want it to end that way, so they pushed through some long volleys at the end. However, it wasn't enough to beat the Monarchs who won the final set of the match 25-6. Haley Schultz led the game with six kills, and Kennedee Weber followed with five kills. Joslyn Schrank had six digs, and Katelyn Kotas had eight digs. Sophia Potter had 12 assists and five digs.
"Our last game of the season was definitely a tough one. We knew they had great hitters and defense. We knew we were going to have to put up a hard fight to win and we were completely capable of it. I have an unexplainable passion for volleyball so playing our last season game that night was hard to wrap my head around. I do think this loss taught us something as a team, though. We made it to the sweet sixteen this year and that was a great accomplishment. What we now know is that every game next year matters. We need to go into every game knowing that the outcome of the match determines how we are paired in regions and eventually the sweet sixteen. We have an excellent group of girls and the seniors will be missed, but I am so ready to see what we can accomplish next year," junior Joslyn Schrank said.
Despite a tough last game of the season, the Huskies to stepped up their game this season compared to previous years. Between the two schools, the volleyball team has not made it that far into tournament play for as long as the current volleyball team players have been alive.
Throughout the rest of the season, the Huskies showed wins and losses, but above all, they showed grit. Even if the team began to hang their heads in the middle of the set and it looked as if all hope was lost, the Huskies would always fire back, never putting down a set without a fight. This was seen all over the board whether it resulted in a five-set win like against Menno, Canistota, Avon or Freeman Academy/Marion, or in a close-set loss like against Freeman, Ethan and Coleman-Egan.
Toward the end, the Huskies' grit really shined. They started with their win against Sanborn Central/Woonsocket Oct. 20 leading into their postseason wins against Irene-Wakonda Oct. 31 and Freeman Nov. 2. The Huskies, earlier defeated by Freeman in a close five-set match, were able to redeem themselves that night in another close five-set match, but on the side of victory.
Overall, the Huskies ended the season with a 16-12 record including their postseason play. Sydney Hoffman finished the season 218 kills and 100 total blocks. Alongside her, Haley Schulz had 139 kills and 112 total blocks. Katelyn Kotas finished 113 kills and 478 digs. Joslyn Schrank had a team best of 34 aces and 487 digs. Libby Bailey had 294 digs, and Andrea Gorriz had 289 digs.
"I think this season was a big success for B-E Huskie volleyball. It was a big step in the right direction. When you look at the season as a whole, we were one of the last 16 teams playing volleyball in class B in the state of South Dakota. That's a big deal for us. This season we accomplished something that hasn't been done at our school in a long time. We played lots of close, five-set games and won most of them. I think the biggest gains we made this season were in confidence, believing we were the better team and finding ways to win in tight matches. This is something that, if we can build on through the off-season, will propel us into a great season next year. It's exciting to think ahead to next year, we have a lot of talent and leadership coming back. We have some big game experience now. I think if we keep working hard and improving skills in the off-season and then we will come back stronger next year," head coach Mary Ernster said.
Next season, the roster will look similar after only losing two seniors. Defensive specialists Libby Bailey and Andrea Gorriz will be graduating this coming spring. Both showed great leadership on the court and will very much be missed
"I knew going into the game on Tuesday night that it was now or never. We had to play a tough team which meant that we had to keep up with them the whole time. I personally think that we played with them at the beginning of the first two sets, but then the Monarchs started getting momentum and knew our weak spots,” senior Andrea Gorriz said, “Overall, we fought hard, but it was a tough loss. Being a senior, it was hard for me to accept that it was my last volleyball game, but I learned many things throughout my high school volleyball career. You just must have determination every time you step onto the court. I will miss this sport, but I'll miss playing with these girls more than anything.”
The Huskies began the first set right along with the Monarchs. Further into the set, the monarchs took a large run and won 25-13.
The second set began similar to the first. At the beginning, the two teams went point for point with each other. The Huskies peaked ahead early in the set, but once again, the Monarchs hammered their quick offense down leading to their second win 25-14.
Set three started off with a lack of confidence from the Huskies, and the Monarchs did not let up. With a rough start, the Huskies decided they did not want it to end that way, so they pushed through some long volleys at the end. However, it wasn't enough to beat the Monarchs who won the final set of the match 25-6. Haley Schultz led the game with six kills, and Kennedee Weber followed with five kills. Joslyn Schrank had six digs, and Katelyn Kotas had eight digs. Sophia Potter had 12 assists and five digs.
"Our last game of the season was definitely a tough one. We knew they had great hitters and defense. We knew we were going to have to put up a hard fight to win and we were completely capable of it. I have an unexplainable passion for volleyball so playing our last season game that night was hard to wrap my head around. I do think this loss taught us something as a team, though. We made it to the sweet sixteen this year and that was a great accomplishment. What we now know is that every game next year matters. We need to go into every game knowing that the outcome of the match determines how we are paired in regions and eventually the sweet sixteen. We have an excellent group of girls and the seniors will be missed, but I am so ready to see what we can accomplish next year," junior Joslyn Schrank said.
Despite a tough last game of the season, the Huskies to stepped up their game this season compared to previous years. Between the two schools, the volleyball team has not made it that far into tournament play for as long as the current volleyball team players have been alive.
Throughout the rest of the season, the Huskies showed wins and losses, but above all, they showed grit. Even if the team began to hang their heads in the middle of the set and it looked as if all hope was lost, the Huskies would always fire back, never putting down a set without a fight. This was seen all over the board whether it resulted in a five-set win like against Menno, Canistota, Avon or Freeman Academy/Marion, or in a close-set loss like against Freeman, Ethan and Coleman-Egan.
Toward the end, the Huskies' grit really shined. They started with their win against Sanborn Central/Woonsocket Oct. 20 leading into their postseason wins against Irene-Wakonda Oct. 31 and Freeman Nov. 2. The Huskies, earlier defeated by Freeman in a close five-set match, were able to redeem themselves that night in another close five-set match, but on the side of victory.
Overall, the Huskies ended the season with a 16-12 record including their postseason play. Sydney Hoffman finished the season 218 kills and 100 total blocks. Alongside her, Haley Schulz had 139 kills and 112 total blocks. Katelyn Kotas finished 113 kills and 478 digs. Joslyn Schrank had a team best of 34 aces and 487 digs. Libby Bailey had 294 digs, and Andrea Gorriz had 289 digs.
"I think this season was a big success for B-E Huskie volleyball. It was a big step in the right direction. When you look at the season as a whole, we were one of the last 16 teams playing volleyball in class B in the state of South Dakota. That's a big deal for us. This season we accomplished something that hasn't been done at our school in a long time. We played lots of close, five-set games and won most of them. I think the biggest gains we made this season were in confidence, believing we were the better team and finding ways to win in tight matches. This is something that, if we can build on through the off-season, will propel us into a great season next year. It's exciting to think ahead to next year, we have a lot of talent and leadership coming back. We have some big game experience now. I think if we keep working hard and improving skills in the off-season and then we will come back stronger next year," head coach Mary Ernster said.
Next season, the roster will look similar after only losing two seniors. Defensive specialists Libby Bailey and Andrea Gorriz will be graduating this coming spring. Both showed great leadership on the court and will very much be missed
