Norse netters split in DC play
Olivia Killian of Whitehall spiked the ball during their match against Alma Center Lincoln last week Tuesday. (Times photograph by Andrew Dannehy)
A sweep was followed by a five-set loss as the Whitehall volleyball team came up empty in two Dairyland Conference matches last week.
The Norse couldn’t keep up with Alma Center Lincoln on the road last week Tuesday, losing 3-0. On Thursday, they fell behind 2-0, but rallied to tie the match before dropping the fifth set at home against Alma/Pepin.
The losses put Whitehall’s final regular season record at 9-16 and they finished 4-6 in Dairyland Conference play, tied with Eleva-Strum for sixth in the standings.
Whitehall received the 12th seed in their Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association bracket and played at (4) Blair-Taylor on Tuesday. The winner of that match plays the winner of the match between (5) Spring Valley and (12) Osseo-Fairchild on Thursday with the regional final round set for Saturday, with Westby (29-1) as the top seed.
WHS 18 18 21
ACL 25 25 25
One of the top teams in the Dairyland Conference was in control for most of the night.
The Hornets took an early lead and went on to win the first set by seven points. After another seven-point win in the second set, they held on for a four-point win to complete the sweep.
Norah Youngbauer led WHS with 10 kills, while adding 10 digs. Sierra Kierstyn had seven kills, while Olivia Killian and Avery Sonsalla both had four. Killian made an impact defensively with five blocks.
Kambrie Wurzer led the team with 18 digs, while Abby Koepke had 14 and Brinna Goplin finished with 10. Wurzer also led the team with two service aces. Koepke had 19 set assists.
A/P 29 25 16 12 15
WHS 27 22 25 25 12
Three close losses were the difference as Whitehall actually outscored A/P 111-97 in the match, but still lost 3-2.
The Norse battled in the first two sets, but fell behind 0-2 with losses of two and three points. Whitehall controlled the next two sets, however, winning the third by nine points and the fourth by 13 to force a deciding fifth set. Once again, though, the Norse were unable to win the close set as the Eagles won 15-12.
Youngbauer led the Norse with 21 kills, three aces and 28 digs. Killian added 13 kills, Kierstyn registered 11 and Sonsalla finished with 10. Koepke had 44 assists in the match.
Wurzer was second on the team with 16 digs, one more than Goplin while Koepke had 13 and Kierstyn finished with 11. Wurzer, Kierstyn and Justice Bishop all had two aces.
