Bulldogs upset in Regis to end their season

By Kelsie Hoitomt

BOYCEVILLE – The Boyceville volleyball team ended their season in Eau Claire against the Regis Ramblers on Thursday. They were able to advance to the second round of Regionals after defeating the Spring Valley Cardinals.

The Bulldogs played an all out nail-biter at home against the Cardinals on Tuesday, October 16.

The Bulldogs beat Spring Valley 3-1 (25-22, 25-13, 25-27, 26-24) to advance to the next round of Regional play and end the Cardinals season.

The Bulldogs fought hard in the first two sets with the help of a serve run by Alexa Peterson in the second set and the aggressive attacks by Kysa Franseen and April Lake as well.

However, the girls seemed to self destruct in the third set as they weren’t quite able to seal the victory in a clean sweep.

The Cardinals got a jump start in the third set leaving the Bulldogs behind 0-4. The game finally tied for the first time at 13-13, but it remained a back and forth battle throughout.

The challenge continued going into the final set. The Bulldogs managed a lead at 24-21, but a few attack attempts were hit out of bounds, which quickly brought the game 25-24.

It was clear the stakes were high as one of the Bulldogs sprinted out of bounds to keep their play alive. The ball was successfully sent back over the net and an error on the Cardinal’s side ended the match.

Franseen had an outstanding game, earning herself a season high of 21 kills. Lake followed in kills with a total of 14. Peterson worked hard on getting to the ball and had 38 set assists. Emma Lorenz tried very hard at the net, getting a few kills to land just inside the line. Lorenz and Abbey Bird also had serving runs that helped in the victory.

“This was a good battle for the girls and it was fun to see them play as well as they did in the first and second games,” said coach Taryn Score.

The heart break came against Regis who finished their conference season undefeated and were a very touch match-up.

The Ramblers swept the Bulldogs in three sets 25-11, 25-20 and 25-9 to end their season in the second round of Regionals.

Franseen, the Bulldogs only senior, finished her career with five kills against the Ramblers.

“Kysa played hard the entire time, there is no quit in her. She was working hard in the back row digging balls and in the front row trying to make plays. She has been a wonderful team captain throughout the season and I was proud of the way she kept fighting the entire match,” shared Score.

Also on the night, Lake led the team with six kills, two service aces and one solo block. Bird and McKenzie Schultz worked in the back row to dig up balls. Kennedy Hellmann played the role of communicator on the floor and also worked hard to pass the ball.

“It is never fun to end the season on a loss, but I was and am very proud of the all the girls. They have worked hard all year and have been a fabulous group of girls to coach. They want to learn and get better and they truly like and support each other. I felt very fortunate to have the pleasure and opportunity to coach these hard working, dedicated players,” expressed Score.