August 22, 2018 at 3:04 p.m.
Hodag spikers go 1-2 in home invite
Hodag spikers go 1-2 in home invite
The Hodags went 1-2 on the day, picking up a close three-set win over Chequamegon, as they took third place in their home four-team invite at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
That win over the Screaming Eagles was bookended by straight-set losses to Three Lakes and Ashland, but Scheuermann said the day provided her with some important insight into a team that lost virtually its entire starting lineup to graduation after last season.
"I saw a lot of things that we need to work on," she said. "I saw a lot of things that we have been working on that they put into the game, so that was nice. It was our first time having all of our players together, so it was nice to see who was good where and what we need to change."
The highlight of the day was the match against Chequamegon. Rhinelander couldn't hang on to a 23-21 lead in the first set as it lost 25-23, but fought to stay alive in a second set that went to extra points.
The Hodags were unable to convert on three set point chances before a couple of errors gave the Screaming Eagles match point, up 27-26. Rhinelander staved off defeat on a kill by sophomore Hannah Worachek and eventually, on its fifth set point chance, put it away. Junior Brylee Ridderbusch tipped a ball down at the net to give Rhinelander at 30-28 win.
The Hodags trailed 7-2 and 13-9 in the third set before rallying from behind thanks to a string of five straight Chequamegon errors before sophomore Kahlie Arneson put home match point on an attack to the back line to give Rhinelander a 15-13 win.
"It was definitely a nail-biter," Scheuermann said. "I just kept telling them to 'push it, push it.' We came back and finished it out in the third (set)."
The Hodags couldn't get much going in the first match against Three Lakes. They fell behind 6-0 in the opening set, and never recovered, dropping the game 25-12. Things were more competitive in the second set as Rhinelander got to within 15-13, but the Bluejays went on an 8-0 run from there and eventually clinched the match with a 25-21 win.
Scheuermann chalked the match against Three Lakes up to first-match jitters for a team that started two seniors, two juniors and two sophomores.
"I think a lot of it was (jitters), especially with more of our team playing together for the first time," she said. "A lot of our people didn't know where to go in some situations. Also, since we only have a couple of seniors, the younger girls are afraid to mess up around them or take balls away from them. I was telling them, 'just call it and be aggressive. Don't be afraid to take the ball when it's right by you.' We've definitely got to work on that, too."
The height of Ashland hitters Elena Brinker and Maddie Cabe was too much for Rhinelander to overcome in the third match. The two were a consistent force at the net as Ashland walked away with a 25-16, 25-17 win.
"We did get a lot of good digs, I was happy about that," Scheuermann said of the Ashland match. "We did get some blocks. I think it's just a matter of timing that we've got to work on with blocking. But it's really tough on us when there's tall hitters because we don't have height."
Official stats were not provided by the team. According to unofficial numbers kept by the River News, Worachek led Rhinelander with six kills on the afternoon, while Arneson had five. Brooke Mork and Novalee Juel had three kills each.
Rhinelander also struggled from the service line, putting only 85 percent of their serves in play while committing 20 service errors. The two exceptions were Arneson, who was 33 of 34 serving with six aces, and senior libero Mikayla Evenstad, who was 21 of 21 with an ace.
"I know (serving has) been a problem, but I was hoping we get more of them in," Scheuermann said. "Then we had a few double hits called so, hopefully, we can get that squared away before Thursday when we leave for Wisconsin Dells. We have some things to work on in a short period of time tomorrow in practice but, hopefully, we'll get it going."
The team leaves Thursday for the Friendship Tournament at Just-a-Game Fieldhouse in Wisconsin Dells. The tournament begins Friday with Rhinelander facing Lake Mills, Prairie du Chien and Peshtigo in pool play.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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