November 9, 2018 at 11:17 a.m.
Team review: RHS volleyball
2018 a rebuilding year for Hodag spikers
Team review: RHS volleyball
The final tally will tell the tale of the on-court struggles the team had this season. The Hodags went 1-38, dropped their final 37 matches and were winless in the Great Northern Conference, taking only one set against a GNC team in the process.
But the Hodags were also behind the eight ball from the get-go after graduating a large senior class last spring that included conference player of the year Hope Wissbroecker. The team went into 2018 with virtually a brand new starting lineup and a new head coach to boot.
"We definitely had a lot of ups and downs this year," first-year skipper Brianna Scheuermann said last month during the team's year-end banquet. "We moved players around all season. It was definitely a work in progress."
Despite the record, the team did show signs of improvement late in the year and a gritty effort in a playoff loss to top-seeded Merrill in the WIAA playoffs provides some optimism for the future.
Quick transition
The transition from retired head coach Kathy Wawrzynowicz to Scheuermann was not the smoothest. The School District of Rhinelander did not finalize Scheuermann's hiring until late July, only a few weeks before the start of practice.
With little, if any, off-season work, Scheuermann was starting basically from square one with the few remaining varsity holdovers from 2017, along with the JV players she coached who, like her, were moving up to the varsity level.
"This is definitely a new experience for me, and some of them, too," Scheuermann said when practice began back in August. "We're all going to be learning and making changes as we go."
One in the win column
Despite all of that, it did not take long for Scheuermann to pick up her first career varsity win as the Hodags rallied to a three-set victory over Chequamegon in the season-opening Hodag Quad at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
After losing the first set 25-23, the Hodags held on for a 30-28 win in the second set and rallied from down 13-9 in the final set to take the final six points and the match.
"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)."
Emerging leaders
With virtually a brand new cast of characters, some new leaders began to emerge as the season progressed.
Senior Brooke Mork became the team's most consistent weapon on offense. She led the team in Great Northern Conference play in both total attacks (145) and kills (34).
Sophomore Hannah Worachek (104 TA, 19 K) was Rhinelander's second option. Mork and Worachek also proved to be versatile all-around players, finishing first and second on the team in digs.
Sophomore Kahlie Arneson provided some height in the middle. Her 20 blocks ranked ninth overall in the GNC. Arneson was also the only Hodag, with 50 or more total attacks to finish with more kills (22) than errors (17).
Junior Aryssa Zasada established herself as the team's primary setter as the season progressed, leading the team with 55 assists.
Fresh faces
The Hodags were dealt a blow about two-thirds of the way through the season when senior libero Mikayla Evenstad went down with a season-ending knee injury. The team called up freshman Carly Schmidt from the JV squad to take her place and her 43 digs ended up being third-best on the team. She was also effective at the service line with eight aces and only one error in 28 attempts.
Two more freshmen - Brynn Brzycki and Ariel Pauer - were called up late in the season and provided some added height in the front row. Their presence was especially felt in the playoff match at Merrill. Their ability to slow down the Bluejays' attack helped Rhinelander record a season-best 41 digs in that match.
"We had a lot of younger girls out there that gave us a better look to see what could be possible next year," Scheuermann said. "It's something to look forward to next season."
What's next
The highlight of the playoff match came in the second set when Rhinelander took at 10-4 lead and forced Merrill to call a timeout on its home court.
It's something to build on entering the offseason for a team that graduates only Mork and Evenstad from this year's squad.
The team will also have the benefit of a full offseason in hopes of becoming more competitive in the GNC.
"It's something to look forward to," Scheuermann said following the Merrill match. "They can be at that level, too. They just need to put in more time and they can definitely get there."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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