Volleyball seeking to serve up success

Serving up some solid percentages, the Custer Jr./Sr. High School volleyball team started the season off on a high note with a 3-0 win in the game against the Philip Scotties Aug. 27. The Armory was packed with fans of both teams, and a Custer student cheer section, adorned in leis and tropical shirts, chanted and stomped in the stands throughout. 
“They always love when the gym is packed, but I think being the first game, it was a little nerve-wracking for them. You could definitely see that in the first set, but they settled in and were able to do their thing,” said head coach Shayna Young. 
The Wildcats came out strong in the first set, taking an early lead, before Philip began challenging them on the court. It ended 25-20 in Custer’s favor. Going into the second set, the Scotties took the lead as the ’Cats struggled with their communication. 
Young said, “There was a lot of miscommunication on who was covering what area, who was getting what ball and then just a lack of communication. Nobody was talking, so nobody knew what was quite going on. Once they started communicating, even in the little things, you could definitely see their play turn around.”
The Wildcats finished the second set 25-21. 
In the third set, the ’Cats held a solid lead for the beginning, but the Scotties pushed the score closer due to some “silly little mistakes” when communication lacked. 
“Overall, I have seen them play better, but I was really impressed with how well they stuck together even in those times where Philip would get a couple points from us in a row or maybe we lost the lead,” said Young. “I was really impressed with how positive they were through it all.” 
Maddy Noble served 11 times with 100 percent accuracy. Jayda Bennett and Riley Messer had seven kills each. Rylan Lowe had 16 assists, and libero Geneveive Poper had 17 digs. Overall, the Wildcats’ serving percentage was 85.1 percent, which is above the team goal. 
Coming off the win, the Wildcats competed against four teams in the Custer Invitational Aug. 29 at the Custer Jr./Sr. High School and Custer Elementary School. Young said they were trying out different athlete rotations throughout the tournament, and the girls adjusted well to the changes and were very supportive. 
The Wildcats started with a game against the Lead-Deadwood Golddiggers. Young said the Golddiggers looked really good and had improved overall as a team since last year, which was nice to see. 
“The first set we came out really strong and played awesome, and the second set we came out and wanted to make it a little more interesting compared to the first set. We did end up losing that set, but they came out that third set ready to rock and roll,” said Young. 
Set one was 25-8 for Custer, set two was 25-21 for Lead-Deadwood and set three was 25-19 for Custer, giving the ’Cats a 2-1 victory. 
Bennett, Frederick and Noble served 100 percent throughout the game. For kills, Madilyn Baker had eight, Bennett had five, Messer had six, Lowe had five and Karmyn Ellerton had six. Lowe also had 21 assists and 10 digs, and Poper had 19 digs. 
From there, the Wildcats faced the Pine Ridge Thorpes, winning 2-0. 
“I wish we would have come out a little bit stronger and played to our level. I think sometimes when we’re playing teams that maybe aren’t at the level we’re used to seeing throughout the season, it’s easy for us to not play to our full potential. But I think the girls quickly realized that and turned it around in the second set,” said Young. 
The Wildcats were also adjusting to a different athlete rotation since one of their starting outside hitters needed to leave early, but they soon found their rhythm. Custer won 25-20 in the first set and 25-13 in the second set. 
The team percentage for serving was 87.8, with Lowe and Noble having 100 percent serving accuracy. For kills, Baker had six, Bennett had four and Ellerton had seven. Lowe had 17 assists. There were not as many digs in the game since Pine Ridge sent over 25 free balls, which are balls passed over the net. 
Next up was a match against the Todd County Falcons. Young said Todd County looked great and had an awesome libero in the back, who wasn’t letting any of the ’Cats’ balls drop. Overall, Young said they were a loud, aggressive, talkative team, which was different for the Wildcats. 
The Wildcats fought hard, but lost 28-26 in the first set and 25-22 in the second set. 
“Their grit really impressed me. There were a couple of times during Todd County specifically where we got down by six points, and Molly Frederick-Medlen got up there to serve and got us right back up with them. That was a really close game,” said Young. “We have really great rallies, but being able to finish them is a challenge right now.”
Noble once again had 100 percent serving accuracy. 
“She’s been one of the most consistent servers for us for sure. She’s been 100 percent all season so far,” said Young. 
Frederick-Medlen had three aces, which were big momentum shifts for the Wildcats. For kills, Baker had five, Bennett had 10 and Ellerton had six. Poper had 14 digs that game, working hard in the back row for the ’Cats. 
When the Wildcats found out they were facing the Hot Springs Bison for the final game of the tournament, Young said they were determined to come out strong. 
“I definitely don’t think we played to our potential, and it showed that we got a little tired having so many games earlier in the day,” said Young. “That was a little hard, but overall, I think we learned a lot from that game, and it just makes us excited to play them again.”
The Wildcats lost 25-17, 25-23, and Young said the Wildcats need to work on their defense some more before facing the Bison again, noting some consistent tendencies that the girls can respond to. 
The team served with 87.8 percent accuracy throughout the game, with Noble, Lowe and Bennett serving 100 percent. Bennett also had nine kills during the game. Lowe had 14 assists and 14 digs, and Young said her defense helped keep the Wildcats in the game. Poper had 10 digs as well. 
“The weekend tournament didn’t quite go as we hoped, but we’re hopeful for the rest of the season based on some of the things we saw,” said Young. 
Tuesday, Sept. 1, the Wildcats faced the Douglas Patriots for an away game. Results were not available at publication. 
Then, Thursday, Sept. 3, the ’Cats are back in the Armory for a game against the Newell Irrigators at 7 p.m. Young said the Wildcats will need to watch their nerves and focus on each other and the task at hand during that game. 
From there, the Wildcats are facing the Sturgis Brown Scoopers in a home game Tuesday, Sept. 8. Young said they don’t know a lot about the Scoopers yet, but they are expecting tough competition.