Bulldogs 3-0 over Hilltopper netters and 0-3 against Buffaloes

By Kelsie Hoitomt

BOYCEVILLE – Even though the scores reflect a Hilltopper loss, they sure put up a good fight.

The evening was a continuous battle between both teams as the ball crossed the net several times during numerous volleys.

The Hilltoppers, who are 0-2 in the conference, brought their A-game on the evening of Tuesday, September 18.

Their blocks at the net by Haley Tiberg, Kelly Perkins and Elizabeth Nyhus were quite impressive as they were able to not only stop the ball, but put it back into the Bulldog side for several points.

The blocks did go both ways however and the Lady Dogs were able to put up blocks and most importantly hard kills.

McKenzie Schultz was a big asset to the team in the first game as she went on an eight point serving run, which helped the team with their win of 25-18.

Sophomore Abbey Bird was on fire for the Bulldogs as she covered the floor, picking up digs in the back row and following through for successful kills.

At one point in the second set, the Bulldogs were down 12-20 and then eventually the score was 18-22.

Bird became the go to girl that Alexa Peterson set to on the outside and Bird delivered five kills in a row to put the Bulldogs in the lead and eventually give them the win 25-22.

Lake also assisted in the win as she put up a block to finally stop the Hilltopper streak and then she rotated into the serving position where she scored nine consecutive points.

The Bulldogs’ momentum after the second game was at a level that the Hilltoppers just couldn’t compete with and they lost 12-25.

“The girls came out much more ready to play and didn’t hold anything back. Kysa Franseen served very well and put away the final point. Kennedy Hellmann did a very good job talking the entire match and try to keep everyone up,” shared coach Taryn Score.

It was an all together intense night of volleyball and quite the crowd pleaser.
The game leaders for the night were Bird with 36 attempts at the net, Franseen with four service aces and Peterson with 33 assists.

“We have a few things to continue to work on, but I was happy that the girls did not give up when they were down by eight and they kept fighting through and were rewarded for their efforts,” said Score.

The winning streak ended for the Bulldogs as they traveled to Mondovi on Thursday, September 20 to play against the Buffaloes.

The Buffaloes swept the Bulldogs in three matches 25-21, 25-23 and 25-18.
“We were too lax on defense and we did not make smart decisions on our attacks,” said Score.

The Bulldogs had 105 attack attempts on the evening, but were only able to get 18 kills out of those attempts.

There were also 16 hitting errors, which in turn made it possible for Mondovi to get the ball and score.

The game did start out positive as Franseen had a six point serving run and she lead the team in service aces with four.

“Overall we passed off serve receive very well with 70 out of 75 serves we were able to return,” explained Score. “We play much better as a team when we are talking and working together and that did not happen. My hope is that the girls will take this match as a lesson learned”.

The Bulldogs next game was at home against Pepin on Tuesday, September 25.