Elk Mound netters win pair to finish in two-way tie for second

By Cara L. Dempski

As the saying goes, it doesn’t matter how you start but how you finish that counts.

After beginning this season with just two wins in its first eight matches and going just 2-2 to open Dunn-St. Croix play, Elk Mound finished strong winning its final four conference matches including a pair of contests last week to wrap up the regular season on a high note and give it momentum for the WIAA tournament series.

 The Mounders picked up a pair of three-set sweeps against Elmwood and Glenwood City to conclude their conference and regular season slate.

Elk Mound made short work of the Raiders when they traveled to Elmwood last Tuesday, October 11 winning in three sets 25-13, 25-17 and 25-17. Two days later, the Mounders hosted the Hilltoppers in the conference finale and beat winless Glenwood City 25-14, 25-9 and 25-9 in the October 13th match. With the victories, the Mounders tied for second place in the D-SC with Boyceville. Both teams finished with 6-2 records – the Mounders’ losses came against the Bulldogs and Mondovi while Boyceville fell to those same Buffaloes (on Tuesday) and Colfax.

Elk Mound, the fourth seed in the WIAA Division 3 regional volleyball tournament, will hosted rival and fifth-seeded Colfax in the quarterfinal round last evening, October 18. The victor will advance to the semifinals to be played this Thursday, October 20. The winner will likely draw Grantsburg, the regional’s top seed and sixth-ranked team in the Division 3 state poll, who hosted the winless Glenwood City Hilltoppers Tuesday. The regional championship will be played Saturday, October 22

Elmwood 

The Mounders went to Elmwood with a 4-2 record in the DSC and left with a 5-2 record after a 3-0 sweep of the Raiders.

Morgan Radtke led the team attack with 12 kills against Elmwood. She also recorded two digs, a solo block, and two block assists. Karie Jo Nigon was the team leader with three aces, and logged nine digs and one kill. Nigon led the team in score assists with 21.

Abby Curry was the team leader for digs with 10. She chalked up one scoring assist.

Junior Kourtney Zurbuchen sent in eight kills and is credited with six digs. Allie Weber, another junior, logged seven kill shots, an ace, nine digs, and a block assist. Lauren Scharlau is credited with three kills, one score assist, four digs, and a block assist.

Riley Radtke, Jenna Heit and Madysen Borofka each took home one kill. Borofka assisted on 10 scores, logged an ace, and took four digs.

Sarah Sweeney and Alex Jenson completed the service aces with one each. Sweeney is also credited with eight digs and Jenson with one. Colleen Olson took credit for a block assist.

Glenwood City

The Mounders played host to Glenwood City for their final regular season match and walked away with a 3-0 win.

Junior Allie Weber led the Elk Mound attack with 10 kills, while Morgan Radtke followed with another nine kills. Karie Jo Nigon fired off five kill shots, Kourtney Zurbuchen and Riley Radtke each landed three, and Lauren Scharlau spiked in two kills.

Nigon led the team for scoring assists with 15 sets, and Madysen Borofka contributed another 11. Zurbuchen set up two more scoring shots, and Morgan Radtke capped the team total at 29 by adding one set.

Nigon and fellow senior Sarah Sweeney led the serve ace count for the night; Nigon recorded four aces, and Sweeney logged three. Borofka sent two unanswered serves to the Hilltoppers, and Weber and Alex Jenson each took credit for an ace.

Weber led the team’s defense with 11 digs against Glenwood. Abby Curry provided another six digs, and Borofka and Nigon tied with five digs apiece. Morgan and Riley Radtke, and Sarah Sweeney, each accounted for three digs each, Zurbuchen recorded two digs, and Jenna Heit logged one.

Morgan Radtke and Weber were the only two to record blocks during the match. Both took credit for one solo block.

Altoona Invitational

As was previously reported, the Mounders participated in a tournament at Altoona on October 8. The Mounders lost to the Altoona Railroaders 1-0, Cameron Comets 2-1 and Chippewa Falls Cardinals 2-0, but won two separate matches against the Eau Claire Immanuel Lancers 2-1.

Morgan Radtke again led the Mounder attack in the tournament by pounding in a total 54 kills. The next teammates closest to her were Allie Weber with 21 kills and Lauren Scharlau with 20. Kourtney Zurbuchen, Riley Radtke and Karie Jo Nigon completed the Elk Mound kill-squad with a total 39 scoring attacks between them.

Nigon took credit for 48 of the Mounders’ 70 scoring assists. The other 22 sets came from Madysen Borofka (9), Zurbuchen (4), Weber (3), Morgan Radtke (3), Riley Radtke (1), Scharlau (1), and Abby Curry (1).

Nigon also led the team in serve aces after recording 12. Abby Curry landed 11 more aces, Borokfa was credited with 10, and Weber chalked up eight. Sarah Sweeney and Scharlau each accounted for six aces, Morgan Radtke had four, Jenson picked up a pair, and Colleen Olson and Zurbuchen each had one ace.

Defensively, libero Abby Curry led the way with 56 digs. Weber took credit for 46 digs, Nigon accounted for another 28, and Scharlau logged 27. Sweeney took 14 digs, and Borofka recorded 13. Riley Radtke, Zurbuchen, Morgan Radtke, Jenna Heit, Jenson and Olson provided the remaining digs.