Seven seniors end volleyball career for EMHS

ELK MOUND — Seven players from the Elk Mound High School volleyball team finished their high school playing days this fall after a grueling five set loss to Osseo-Fairchild in the first round of the regional playoffs. However, with just two of those players having varsity experience, the Mounders finished second in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference this year and were also the runners up the two previous years.

Getting some varsity playing time as a sophomore, Hannah Flatness moved up to the varsity full time her junior year and remained there through her senior year. She led the Mounders and the conference in kills with 346 this year and was also second in solo blocks with 59 and had 22 ace serves, 92 digs and 23 assisted blocks. In her junior season, Flatness, playing with a team full of seniors, led in solo blocks with 81 and was fourth in kills with 165. Her career totals include 528 kills, 157 solo blocks, 52 assisted blocks, 135 digs, 22 aces and seven assists. She was a Second Team All Conference pick as a junior and moved up to the First Team this year.

Serena Wieser also played three seasons at the varsity level and was second on the team in digs as a senior with 272 and as a junior with 288 for a three season total of 587. She collected 71 ace serves including a team leading 47 as a junior, and showing her ability to play the whole court, Wieser slammed 263 kills and had 43 block assists to go with eight solo blocks, along with 19 assists for her career. Her efforts landed her on the All Conference team as an honorable mention pick this year.

Abbey Olsen found a home in the backrow as the libero for this year’s team and made the most of it by leading the Mounders in digs with 365. She served up 36 aces and had a serving percentage of .917 with just 29 errors in 351 attempts. She also had six kills and seven assists in her one year of varsity action and was also named to the honorable mention All Conference team.

Four other Mounder girls were members of the varsity team as seniors including Kayla Black, Emily Finder, Isabella Cater and Makenna Zurbuchen. Black slammed 17 kills, collected 31 digs, smacked four aces and had a pair of solo blocks and assisted blocks. Finder came up with six kills, five digs, two assists and assisted on two blocks, Cater finished with nine assists, seven digs and one ace serve and Zurbuchen smacked six kills, added three digs and assisted on a block.

“This was a great group of girls to work with in my first year of being a head coach,” Sam Weix said. “I have a lot to learn and I was honest with the girls about that. But I had a blast this season and I couldn’t help but just step back and smile because I love coaching volleyball to kids like this,” she added.