Mounders finish home quadrangular 2-1 with wins over Somerset and Augusta
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TRYING FOR ONE — Maggie Bartig (#9) went up for the point but was blocked by Ellsworth players Brooke Minder (#12) and Emily Nelson (#9) during a quadrangular hosted by the Mounders.
—photo by Amber Hayden
ELK MOUND — The Elk Mound volleyball squad was in action on Thursday evening, September 12, against Somerset, Ellsworth, and Augusta and walked away with a 2-1 record in the home quadrangular.
“The girls had a very successful night against Somerset, Ellsworth and Augusta,” said Mounders’ head coach Samantha Stelter. “The girls came out with high energy and genuine excitement right from the first serve.”
The Lady Mounders first contest of the quad was against the Somerset Spartans, which the Mounders took in two sets by scores of 25-12 and 25-16.
Maggie Bartig took it to the Spartans as she put down eight kills to lead Elk Mound. She also had one blocked serve and one dig.
“Maggie made a statement at the net with 22 kills on the night,” Stelter explained. “She really connected well with Kortnee Halgren.”
Ellsworth proved to be a tough competitor for Elk Mound as it lost the match in two sets to the Panthers by scores of 26-24 in both.
During the first set against the Panthers, the Mounders gave up the 24th point to the Panthers on a bobbled ball that landed right at the net.
The 26th point for Ellsworth was an exciting rally as Elk Mound’s fans cheered on the Lady Mounders.
Sophie Cedarblade made a spectacular save as she dove and hit the ball back over with one hand. Cedarblade had seven kills against Ellsworth, and a total of 16 kills for the evening.
“I think the most intense matchup of the night was against Ellsworth,” Stelter stated. “They blocked us well and by the time our hitters found ways around the block, we found ourselves in a 9-20 deficit.”
Morgan Kinblom went on a six-serve run for Elk Mound during the first set against the Panthers, bringing the Mounders within three points.
“The second set we got off to a slow start once again and we didn’t have enough to get ourselves out of the hole,” said Stelter. “But if we can develop our consistency, we’ll pull out these tight matches.”
The final match of the night for Elk Mound was against the Augusta Beavers in which they won in two sets by scores of 25-17 and 25-18.
McKenna Diermeier donned the libero jersey for Elk Mound and showed the Mounder coaching staff she deserved it as she had 16 digs against the Beavers and had two aces. She had a total of 46 digs in the quad.
“Our passing was outstanding all night and that really allowed our offense to produce,” coach Stelter commented. “Even when the offense was struggling, the confidence of knowing the next pass would be there and our hitters would get another swing was exciting.”
AFTER A BIG save in the first set against the Panthers, Sophie Cedarblade (#2) helped keep Elk Mound within striking distance. But unfortunately, the Mounders fell to Ellsworth in two sets, both scored at 26-24. —photo by Amber Hayden
Leading Elk Mound in assists was senior Kortnee Halgren with 61 which in turn placed the ball well for the Mounder hitters.
“I’m pleased with where we are in the season right now,” head coach Samantha Stelter said. “The girls are bringing the energy, we’re getting better each day, and we’re going to be ready when conference play starts next week.”
Elk Mound traveled to McDonell Central on Saturday, September 14, but no stats or comments were provided at the time of print.
The Mounders will travel to Spring Valley on Thursday, September 19 to open Dunn-St. Croix Conference play, and are on the road this Saturday, September 21, for an invitational at Eau Claire North. Elk Mound will wrap up a three-match road swing next Tuesday, September 24, against Elmwood/Plum City in Elmwood.