After rocky start at Menomonie Sprawl, Elk Mound volleyball has success at Cadott triangular

By Cara L. Dempski

ELK MOUND — Elk Mound volleyball already has a series of battles under its belt for the 2016 season. The Mounders played in the Menomonie Sprawl, held at UW – Stout, on August 26 and 27, and played a triangular in Cadott on August 30.

Menomonie Sprawl

The Mounders dropped the first four games of the season during play on Friday of the Menomonie Sprawl.

Elk Mound faced Rice Lake in their first game of the tournament. The team lost the first set 25-23, but then powered through the second to take it 27-25. In the third set, the Mounders dropped behind and lost the match after a 15-8 finish.

Elk Mound next faced River Valley High School, losing in straight sets despite pounding out 25 points in the first. River Valley turned in another two points to end the first set 27-25 and then held the Mounders to only 18 points in the second.

The team lost the final two games on Friday to Grantsburg (25-14, 25-17) and Ellsworth (25-22, 25-8).

Saturday started on a more positive note for the Mounders. The team won their first match, against Lakeland, in two sets (25-12, 25-16). Elk Mound then faced Hudson, losing the first set 25-16 before putting together a scrappy second set and winning 26-24. Hudson felled Elk Mound, 15-12, in the third.

The final game on Saturday was against Cadott. Elk Mound won in two sets, 25-11 and 25-17.

Sophomore Morgan Radtke put together a respectable 63 kills for the Mounders during the tournament, while her sister Riley brought in 20 more for the team.

Cadott Triangular

The Mounders went to Cadott on August 30 to play against the home team and Gilman. They came away with a 1-2 against Gilman, but pulled out a 2-1 win against Cadott.

“Inconsistent play forced the team out of system often, which made finding any rhythm in our game very difficult,” Elk Mound coach Sam Weix said.

Elk Mound lost the first set against Gilman 25-19, before stepping up to take the second 25-21. The third set looks to have been a fight, as the Mounders lost by only two points, making the score 15-13.

The Elk Mound team then stepped out to face Cadott for the second time in one week. The Mounders grabbed the first set 25-20 before putting up a fight in the second that ended with Cadott winning 25-22 to force a third set. Weix’s team prevailed in the finale, capping the win with a 15-13 score in the set.

Weix said of her team, “While we didn’t play well, we had moments where our potential shone through. They aren’t a team that just quits when things get tough.”

If Elk Mound is to succeed this season, Weix said they’re going to have to improve communication and develop consistent play.

Morgan Radtke again led the team in kills, raining down nine on Cadott and 13 on Gilman. Allie Weber joined Radtke with her own set of double-digit kills. Weber matched Radtke’s record against Cadott and added another six kills against Gilman to make her total 15.

The Mounders will play a quad at home on September 8 before heading to McDonnell in Chippewa Falls for a quad/tournament on September 10. They open conference play September 15 with an away game at Mondovi.