One down
Markee Schultz is set to receive a serve for the Wisconsin Dells High School varsity volleyball team with Tess Myklebust backing her up. The Chiefs opened the South Central Conference season at home Thursday night with a three game sweep of the visiting Wetfield Pioneers.
By Jim den Hollander
With wins in six of seven lead up games, the Wisconsin Dells High School varsity volleyball team got its quest for the South Central Conference championship started on Thursday evening at home. Despite a bit of a slow start to the match, the Chiefs played well enough to earn a 25-18, 25-21, 25-8 sweep against the visiting Westfield Pioneers. If there was a turning point in the match it came late in the middle game as senior co-captain Markee Schultz went to the service line and delivered the Chiefs from a 19-21 deficit to the 25-21 win. Schultz was helped in part by some apparent serve receive problems on the other side of the net, but that could have been the result of some nice ball placement as well as the defensive struggles for the opponent. Afterward, Schultz said the team began communicating better on court as well at that point. "Yeah, we started talking a lot more so that helped with ball control and stuff," said Schultz. Until the game-end rally by Schultz, the middle game was close, but the Pioneers seemingly in control the entire way. That team's failure to finish it off switched the momentum in a big way and the Chiefs dominated the third game. "It's a big momentum changer when they start missing serves," said Schultz. "The momentum just keeps going our way and we can keep scoring points and getting runs off of that. It makes it a lot easier when they make mistakes and we don't." The opening game was similar to the second, although it was the Chiefs leading the whole way and gradually pulling away at the end. Following the middle game, the serve receive problems continued for the visitors allowing the Chiefs to get the sweep and make it an early night. Schultz said the team took a little while to adjust to a lineup slightly different than the one that played most of the time at the Horicon tournament last weekend. "It just takes a while to figure out, who's going to get what ball, but once you start talking you figure it out." Schultz played a big part on the court for the Chiefs, leading the team in aces with four and kills with eight. Fellow senior Skye Solava also enjoyed a big night with five kills and a block, second in both categories - Katie Piekarski had two blocks. Senior co-captain Kinsey Mace was right behind Schultz with three service aces and also was the primary setter, picking up seven assists, Tricia Gussel adding another seven. The Chiefs get a week to prepare for their first road conference test at Nekoosa Thursday, then play their first of two straight weekend tournaments, at Fall River, an event they have fared well at in recent years, but never won. A 7-1 record in matches so far is nice, but a tournament trophy could add a lot of fuel to the Chiefs' fire, said Schultz. "It would be big. It's just always a good feeling. You can always take it into your next match, just knowing that you beat better teams." Other South Central Conference match scores from Thursday night were unavailable at press time. WISCONSIN DELLS 3, WESTFIELD 0 Westfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ...18 21 8 Wisconsin Dells. . . . . . . . . . . . 25 25 25 WESTFIELD (LEADERS): Kills — WISCONSIN DELLS: Kills —