Lady Cats

The Wildcat Volleyball team opened their season at the Minatare Triangular on Thursday, Sept. 1 with the Minatare Indians and the Creek Valley Storm.

The Wildcats suffered two close losses at the tournament, with a 2-0 loss first to their hosts followed by a 2-0 loss to Creek Valley.

"I wouldn't say that the teams we've played so far have been especially tough, but it is also harder to tell as everyone has the first game jitters. The unpredictability at the beginning of a season always throws each team a curve ball," head coach Bethany Cooper said. "We are working hard to prepare for anything. We want to be ready for any change-ups headed our way, while also being a consistently difficult team to try and beat. As we work out the kinks and communication errors, I believe we will see tremendous growth in our play this season."

The first set against the Lady Indians ended 25-22 and the second set 25-19.

Junior MaKenna Dahlgrin led against the Minatare ladies with nine digs, six successful kills, three aces and three solo blocks.

Savannah Jordan served up two aces and three digs.

The sets against Creek Valley weren't as close, with a loss of 25-9 in the first set and 25-17 in the second as the younger Wildcats faced Creek Valley senior Jessie Straber intense athleticism at the net.

Dahlgrin again led with two successful kills of 12 attempts in the battle with Sierra Flores being credited with two kills of her own.

Jordan served up two more aces while junior Emily Singleton and sophomore Jadyn Cross each added one of their own.

Defending the net was tough, as Dahlgrin was credited with the sole successful block against the Storm and young Rylie Mason racked up the digs, totaling 11, followed by Jordan with five, Dahlgrin and Flores with four each and Singleton with three.

Following the tough competition at the Minatare Triangular the Wildcats hosted Arthur County on Friday, Sept. 2 for a third hard-fought loss.

The first set had the largest spread, 25-18, followed by a 25-20 second set and the last set being the closest at 25-23.

"The biggest challenges we faced as a team this week were communication and transitions," head coach Bethany Cooper said. "We did not talk well at the beginning, although we did progress. Late transitions off the net got us into some trouble as well."

Cooper added that the team will work aggressively in practice to address those challenges.

"We have already begun to address those challenges. Yesterday we worked a lot on transitioning and coverage and the communication that must take place throughout. We walked through the different positions and did drills focused on game-like scenarios, hitting heavily on communication during free-balls, short hits, and deep balls," she said.

The Lady Cats played more aggressively throughout the game with a total of 14 kills, five for Dahlgrin, Singleton contributed four, followed by two each for Jordan and Cross, and one from Mason.

Dahlgrin added one ace, as did Flores and Mason but the sole successful block came from Dahlgrin.

The Banner County girls racked up 35 digs, with Singleton and Cross each contributing ten while Dahlgrin and Jordan added six apiece, followed by two from Flores and one from Bailee Underhill.

"Our basic skills are coming along. Already our serving and passing percentages are better than last year. We expect continued improvement in those areas. More experience and being able to build upon the same program with the same coaches has helped," Cooper said. "This group of girls also works hard to grow and become more consistent. Each game, the added experience makes a huge difference. Our play on Friday against Arthur was much better than our first two games at Minatare."

Cooper enjoys a diverse team this year, and said she has seen a different Lady Cat pull the team out of hard slumps with each game.

"Savannah Jordan is our consistent, hard-working, senior setter whose experience brings a lot to every game. MaKenna Dahlgrin continues to be a threat at the net both on offense and defense," she said. "Meanwhile, our back row and other hitters have worked hard to get to every ball and make the necessary adjustments throughout each game. I am proud of our improvement and eagerness to play harder and get better each set."

"I have been particularly impressed by Rylie Mason and Bailee Underhill--two players whom we have thrown into many different positions," she added. "They have been flexible and hard-working, excited to play and help their team in any way we ask."