September 20, 2017 at 2:33 p.m.
Hodags fend off rally to defeat Eagles
Hodags fend off rally to defeat Eagles
The Hodags got a couple of kills from Molly Wagler down the stretch and went on to defeat the Eagles in five sets in a Great Northern Conference match at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Rhinelander, which built a 2-0 lead in the match, took the decisive set 15-9 after the Eagles rallied to send the match to its full distance.
"We came out fired up and took the first two, but I've got to give Pines credit," RHS volleyball coach Kathy Wawrzynowicz said. "They came back and got us the next two and fought hard. It could have been anyone's that fifth game, but once we got a little bit of a lead (playing to) 15 points, I was confident."
Rhinelander took control early in the fifth set on a string of three straight points from senior Hope Wissbroecker, who finished with 31 kills and eight blocks on the night. Rhinelander eventually pushed the lead to 10-5 following a Wissbroecker ace.
Pines got back to within three points before Wagler hit through a block by the Eagles' Jenny Pyne for a kill. Following an Eagles' error, Ally Seefeldt had a kill to give the Hodags' match point.
It looked for a moment as though Seefeldt had won the match for Rhinelander as she hit through a Taylor Olivotti block for the apparent match-clinching point, but the officials ruled Seefeldt's shot grazed the antenna at the net that marks the boundary of the court and award the point to the Eagles. Wagler followed with a kill to end the match.
"We just needed one side out. That's all we needed and they came through. Molly came through, which I was happy to see," Wawrzynowicz said. "I thought Ally got a couple of key points for us and I thought Brooke Mork played well tonight, swung and got some points off some kills."
It was all Rhinelander early on in the match. The Hodags never trailed in the first set and took control with a 5-0 run midway through as the went on to a 25-17 win.
After falling behind 4-0 in the second, the Hodags responded with a 10-1 run to take five-point lead, which was followed by a string of 14 consecutive side outs as the teams alternated scoring. The Eagles got to within two at 21-19, but back-to-back errors by former Hodag Daleigh Neveaux gave the Hodags a four-point cushion, which they rode to a 25-21 win.
Pines edged out to a 18-12 lead in the third set following a net violation and an attacking error by Wissbrocker. Rhinelander eventually got to within a point at 22-21 off a Hannah Worachek ace, but Pines responded with kills by Kirsten Lindemann and Cameron Ramesh to take the set 25-21.
It was a similar story in the fourth as Pines used a 9-1 run to take a 20-14 lead. Rhinelander got back to within two late on a Wissbroecker kill, but then made an error and Neveaux recorded a kill on set point as the Eagles squared the match with a 25-21 win.
"That third and fourth game we had some unforced errors," Wawrzynowicz said. "You could tell they weren't smiling, weren't doing anything. That was part of our conversation, to get up we had to get loud. After every point we had to make noise and rattle them a little bit, which I think we did. It was great for us to comeback."
Northland Pines also began to effectively block Wissbroecker in the fourth set, but otherwise had trouble containing the Hodags' top offensive threat, who also added 20 digs from the back row.
"They stopped her a couple of times but she's just so smart," Wawrzynowicz said. "She knows where to put the ball. Once they covered up the tipping spot, I just told her to swing away. I'll take Hope any day. I still think she's the best player in the conference as far as getting up at the net, hitting and swinging. She scored a lot of points for us tonight."
Ally Seefeldt finished with seven kills, 20 assists and 17 digs for Rhinelander. Makayla Kuester had 23 assists and Stephanie Kuester had 26 digs and three service aces. The team went 101 of 107 serving on the night.
The win snapped a three-match losing streak for the Hodags, who improved to 4-0 at the Miazga Gym this fall.
"I guess we've got to play at home more often," Wawrzynowicz quipped. "Home has been good for us this year which is a switch. We had been playing better on the road the last couple of years."
The Hodags have two home matches remaining in the schedule, against Tomahawk Oct. 3 and Medford Oct. 10. Rhinelander travels to Lakeland next Thursday.
"We've got some key matches I think we can win down the road here so we're just going to have to keep plugging away," Wawrzynowicz said.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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