Bulldog netters close regular season with pair of D-SC loses
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BOYCEVILLE’S Aubrey Malean (#9) hit a shot during the Bulldogs home volleyball match against Durand-Arkansaw October 10. The Panthers won 3-1. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
The Bulldogs had to take on a pair of the Dunn-St. Croix Conference’s upper echelon volleyball squads in their final two matches of the regular season last week.
That resulted in two more losses for Boyceville who now enters the WIAA tournament series on a four-match losing skid.
Hosting Durand-Arkansaw last Tuesday, October 10, Boyceville opened strong as it knocked off the Panthers 25-15 in the first set. But, Boyceville was unable to keep its momentum rolling in the subsequent sets as Durand-Arkansaw won the next three sets and the match.
Prospects for a victory did not get any better as the Bulldogs headed south to Spring Valley Thursday, October 12 to take on the conference-leading Cardinals in the teams’ regular season finale. Spring Valley earned the sweep and the Dunn-St. Croix volleyball championship as it finished 7-0 in league play.
Boyceville finished in a three-way tie for sixth place with Glenwood City and Elmwood-Plum City. All three squads were 1-6 in D-SC competitions this season.
The Bulldogs will take a 9-15 record into the regional competition which began last evening, Tuesday, October 17. Boyceville, a number 11 seed in upper half bracket of the WIAA Division 3 Barron Sectional, traveled to sixth seeded Unity last evening for a quarterfinal match. If the Bulldogs win, they will play the winner of the Glenwood City (#14) versus Webster (#3) match in a Thursday’s semifinals with the higher seed hosting the match. Regional finals are Saturday, October 21.
Durand-Arkansaw
Boyceville had a great start when it hosted Durand-Arkansaw Tuesday, October 10.
The Bulldogs took an early advantage in the opening set and cruised to a 25-15 win.
Unfortunately, the visiting Panthers soon flipped the script and won the next three sets by scores of 25-16, 25-16 and 25-20 to leave the Dog House with the victory.
Of the 26 kills that Boyceville registered in the four-set match, 11 were recorded by Chelsi Holden, Aubrey Malean added five and Zoey Hellendrung finished with four. Holden also led with four service aces, Delaney Olson added three and tallied 18 of her team’s 23 assists.
BLOCKED — Boyceville’s Delaney Olson (#15, left) and Cora Leslie (#18) made a successful block against a Durand-Arkansaw hitter in a October 10 home volleyball match. The Bulldogs lost 3-1.
—photo by Shawn DeWitt
Four Bulldogs finish with double-digit digs as Hannah Dunn topped that statistical chart with 16, Holden had 11 and Olson and Hellendrung finished with ten apiece.
Spring Valley
Following a home loss to Durand-Arkansaw two days earlier, Boyceville closed the regular season and its Dunn-St. Croix slate with a trip to Spring Valley last Thursday for a date with the Cardinals who were perched atop the conference standings.
When the match was over, Spring Valley had earned a 25-18, 25-5 and 25-15 sweep of Boyceville and the conference championship.
Boyceville finished with 17 kills in those three sets but committed 25 errors. Holden had five of those 17 kills, Malean added four and Hellendrung and Cora Leslie finished with three each.
Olson was responsible for all but one of the Bulldogs’ 16 assists while Kaitlyn Mittlestadt had both of Boyceville’s service aces.
Defensively, Holden and Olson led the Bulldogs in digs with 14 and 12, respectively.
BULLDOG senior Hannah Dunn received a serve during a home volleyball match against Durand-Arkansaw October 10.
—photo by Shawn DeWitt