Spikers looking to return home tonight
Jim den Hollander/Events
Kristin Oines (left) and Heather Conroy team up to block a Prairie du Chien Blackhawks attempt at the net during their WIAA Division 2 Regional match at WDHS Tuesday night. The Chiefs swept their first round opponent and moved on to play in Spring Green last night, hoping to return to its own gym for the Regional championship match scheduled for tonight.
By Jim den Hollander, Events Sports Editor
The Wisconsin Dells High School varsity volleyball played its first of what it hopes will be a three match week at Wisconsin Dells High School Tuesday night.
The Chiefs opened the WIAA Division 2 post season as the fourth seed in its Region and earned a 3-0 sweep over the fifth seeded Prairie du Chien Blackhawks.
The Hawks put up its toughest fight in the first game, falling 25-19 and the Chiefs had little trouble winning the next two 25-15, 25-11.
The final win was perhaps a little closer than it seemed, Lindsay Gantz going to the service line with her team up 13-11 and never leaving, taking it the 12-point game and match distance.
Teams played out their match under the watchful eye of the entire River Valley Blackhawks squad, in the bleachers as the Region’s top seed, enjoying a first round bye. The same Hawks will entertain the Chiefs in the Regional semi-final contest Friday night, winner of that one moving back to the Dells’ gym a night later for the Regional championship match.
A busy schedule is nothing new to the Chiefs who played three matches the previous week as well, including a pair of makeups for games postponed during the recent flu epidemic in town.
“We didn’t get a chance to see them play (this season),” said the coach adding, “what they played was similar to Wautoma, so that worked out good.” The Chiefs played Wautoma just four nights earlier in its regular season finale.
Collins said she was a little surprised with the team’s set up on defense, but it certainly didn’t slow down the Chiefs.
Normally, the local squad looks to set up a specific game plan based on whoever it is playing, but this time around, senior setter Kristin Oines and head coach Cyndy Collins both said they wanted the Hawks to make the adjustments.
“Really, we wanted to play our game,” said Oines after the match win. “We were focusing on points we give them off of errors and trying to cut that down.”
The crazy match schedule of late hasn’t left time for the Chiefs to come up with team specific strategies anyway and the Chiefs looked to address perhaps the one tendency that has occasionally caused some struggles – a tendency to sag after giving up a tough point.
The Hawks did stay closer than perhaps they should have in the opener for that exact reason – a point given up due to something minor such as an on-court communication issue turns into a little run of three or five points.
For the most part though, Collins said it isn’t a big problem.
“We still made a few little errors,” said the coach, agreeing that the opposition did get a few gift points early, but adding, “I don’t get too excited about it then...we play to 25 point,” then adding with a chuckle, “Now, if the score was 23-23...I might worry a bit.”
Oines said the teammates encourage each other and try to put those mistakes behind them quickly and once again, a fairly balanced score sheet showed the team is getting help from everywhere.
“We play as a team,” said Oines. “We don’t have any big stars. We play together.”
At the net, senior Tess Myklebust has seven spike kills while Oines collected a half dozen. Senior Trish Gussel and junior Heather Conroy both had a pair of tip kills while Conroy was big on block kills, leading the way with five.
Oines, Gussel and Conroy each had a couple of service aces and as setters, Gussel picked up 12 assists while Oines chipped in five.
Junior Carley Heller enjoyed one of her best nights of the season at libero, sharing the team lead in digs with Tess Myklebust and generally, staring up the offense well all night.
The Chiefs will be the underdog when it takes the floor Friday against the top seed, but one of the intangibles the Chiefs take with it is a serious group of winners leading the charge.
Oines was one of several players that won three South Central Conference titles last season and that group simply hates to lose.
“Yeah, I’m very competitive,” said Oines with a smile. “We really try to push each other.”
At Wisconsin Dells - Oct. 20, 2009
WISCONSIN DELLS 3, NEKOOSA 0
Wisconsin Dells.... 25 25 25
Nekoosa................. 19 15 11
WISCONSIN DELLS (leaders): Spike Kills — Tess Myklebust 7. Kristin Oines 6, Heather Conroy 4. Tip Kills — Heather Conroy 2, Tricia Gussel 2. Block Kills — Heather Conroy 5. Aces — Kristin Oines 2, Heather Conroy 2, Tricia Gussel 2. Assists — Tricia Gussel 12, Kristin Oines 5. Digs — Carley Heller 6, Tess Myklebust 6, Nicole Gantz 4, Kristin Oines 3, Heather Conroy 3.