Wildcats take first at Custer Invitational

Right from the start of the season, the Custer High School Wildcat volleyball team is chasing its goal of making it to the SoDak16, having won its first match against Philip as well as the Custer Invitational tournament. 
“I would absolutely say that the hard work that was put in over the last years helped us coming into this season. We also had strong practices coming into the season and have a good team philosophy. We have high goals for our team this season, and the girls are ready to put the work into achieving those goals,” said head coach Jill Hohn. 
The girls started the season with a game against the Philip Scotties Thursday, Aug. 28. 
“The girls did fantastic in the game against Phillip. They started and ended strong. They played as a cohesive team, and their enthusiasm on the court was contagious. They truly love to play the game and had fun doing so,” said Hohn. 
With the Wildcats leading throughout the game, the first game score was 25-14, the second game score was 25-8 and the third game score was 25-17. The Wildcats won 3-0.
Kylee Ellerton had 13 digs in the game, and Rylan Lowe had 20 assists. For kills, Keira Nelson had seven, Jayda Bennett had six and Lyncoln Robb had five. 
Going into the Custer Invitational Saturday, Aug. 30, Hohn said she knew the Wildcats were contenders to win the tournament. 
The Wildcats started off with a game against Lead-Deadwood Golddiggers.
The Golddiggers came out hard in the first game, winning 25-22. However, the Wildcats scratched back, winning the second game 25-15 and the third game 25-16. The final score was 2-1 in the Wildcats’ favor. 
“We started the day off a little slow with our first set with Lead but came back and adjusted well. Our bench played really well, and we were able to get a lot of players in to help with fatigue throughout the day,” said Hohn. 
Next, the Wildcats faced the Newell Irrigators. The Wildcats won 2-0 with a first game score of 25-15 and a second game score of 25-20. 
After that, the Wildcats moved on to play the Todd County Falcons. The Wildcats won 2-0 with a first game score of 25-13 and a second game score of 25-22. 
That brought the Wildcats to a match against the Edgemont Moguls. The Wildcats won 2-0 with a first game score of 25-11 and a second game score of 25-19. 
Finally, the Wildcats faced the Hot Springs Bison for the championship game. 
“The championship game against Hot Springs was our most difficult game. We had opportunities where we started to build some leads and give ourselves a little breathing room, but ended up making some mistakes that let them get back in the game,” Hohn said. “The main takeaway, though, was that we were able to finish with a win. They never gave up and supported each other to get the win. That is the growth that we are so excited to be seeing.”
The Wildcats took the lead in the first game with a score of 25-23. Then, the Bison reared up in the second game, closing the score to 25-23. With the game sitting at 1-1, the Wildcats fought back to flip the scales and win the third game 25-23. The Wildcats won 2-1.
As the girls play, Hohn said, “Our coverage is looking really good. They are also being aggressive on offense. There is a good flow on the court and the players read plays very well.” 
Behind the scenes the Wildcats are focusing on serving consistency as well as blocking and hitting coverage.
The Wildcats faced the Douglas Patriots for a home game Tuesday, Sept. 2. Results were not available upon publication. 
After that, the Wildcats will face the Newell Irrigators again Thursday, Sept. 4, for an away game before gearing up for an away game against the Sturgis Scoopers Tuesday, Sept. 9. 
“We played Newell in the tournament, so we feel confident going into that game knowing what we need to do to get a win. Sturgis is always a strong opponent, and we will work at practice to address their specific strengths, but keeping the girls healthy and in good spirits will get us there,” said Hohn.