Longhorns volleyball continues to build

After nearly a month of long bus trips across the state, the Kimball Longhorns volleyball team returned home on Tuesday night for its first home match since September 5. What the team accomplished on the road this month goes much deeper than what can be found in a quick glance from numbers.

This club began to really gel as a cohesive unit - something that is critical for success in the sport.

With a 6-5 record entering play this week, the Lady Longhorns’ season seems to have been one of the back-and-forth variety.

Last week, the team put together what head coach Vicki Mitchell called the “best team effort” of the season against Pine Bluffs.

In the best-of-five series, the Lady Longhorns took three straight sets, 25-21, 25-12 and 25-13, showcasing the talent many in the area were excitedly talking about prior to the season.

Danika Daum led the team with nine kills, with Madison Biesecker adding seven and Kelly Green, five, respectively.

Daum and Biesecker each contributed 12 assists apiece in the win while Jessica Hanks added 11 digs and 16 serve receptions.

Kelly Green, another one of the young talented players on the team tallied 13 service points on the night.

“The entire team contributed to these wins,” Mitchell said afterwards. “The one-two punch by Madison Biesecker and Danika Daum was on tonight.”

Mitchell went on to compliment an array of players on her team for their outstanding play of late.

“Courtney Hunsaker played steady and consistent. Madie Snyder was back into the lineup after missing due to illness. Arica McCloud is serving extremely well and provides a spark in the back row.”

With a 1-2 record at the District level, the Lady Longhorns will return to action Thursday night in Sidney and Gering. They will also travel to Burns on October 3 before returning home to take on Bayard and Potter-Dix at 5:00 p.m. on October 8.