October 7, 2020 at 1:19 p.m.
RHS volleyball swept by Antigo to close out GNC first round
RHS volleyball swept by Antigo to close out GNC first round
The Hodags improved in each set but were not able to take one from the second-place Red Robins, falling 25-10, 25-15, 25-18.
"We are not a young team, grade-wise. We've got a mix of mostly juniors and seniors, but experience-wise, we are young," Hodag coach Jim Povolo said. "We've got some people who moved up from all the way from JV2 from last year. We've got some kids that came up from JV last year. It's just a huge, huge step in speed. It just is. I'd like to say we're getting better, and I think we are. Unfortunately, everyone else is getting better at the same time. We can't seem to catch up."
By far, the best set of the three was the third, which was back and forth much of the way. The Hodags led 15-13, thanks to a 5-0 run midway through the set, and had an 18-17 lead before the Red Robins rattled off the final eight points to take the match.
"The second set I felt we played much better and by the time we got to the third set, I felt like we were playing competitively and had an opportunity there," Povolo said. "We get some momentum and then we kind of shoot ourselves in the foot with some unforced errors. The game's about momentum and if we can get that momentum and keep it, we're in business. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to do that yet."
Antigo led from the outset in the opening frame, taking eight of the first 10 points. Rhinelander chipped away to get within 9-6 at one point before Antigo surged ahead. Much like the third set, Antigo used an 8-0 run at the end to secure a 25-10 victory.
"Our first set we tried something that we haven't practiced a whole lot," Povolo said. "We moved some more fire power to the outside. We thought that would increase our opportunities to score points. We're just not ready to do that yet. We were really discombobulated, not to mention they were hitting right over our right side block. The first one, we only scored 10 points, but it was kind of an experimental lineup."
Rhinelander fought back from an early 9-4 deficit in the second set to tie it 9-9, thanks to an Emily Jorgensen ace, but Antigo responded by scoring 10 of the next 12 points and went on to a 10-point victory.
Ariel Pauer finished the night with four kills for Rhinelander, while Ava Lamers had a pair of kills and three digs. Olivia TerBeest had four assists, Hannah Worachek had five digs and Jorgensen finished with three service aces.
"Once we changed back to our normal lineup, I thought our middles, Ava and Ariel, were really getting some really good swings out there," Povolo said. "Addi DeMeyer was coming up with some gutsy sets there toward the end, running, punching it with one fist. We have good things, we just can't seem to put them all together at the same time."
Tuesday's match wrapped up the first round of conference play in a unique coronavirus-shortened season. The Hodags finished 0-6 the first time through the GNC and will play fifth-place Lakeland (3-3) and sixth-place Tomahawk (1-5) in the second round.
"All we can strive to do is get a little bit better each time. If our competition is more our speed, maybe we can surprise someone," Povolo said.
Because Rhinelander played road matches against Lakeland and Tomahawk in the first round, the Hodags will host both teams next week at the Miazga Gym. Rhinelander will take on Lakeland this coming Tuesday and Tomahawk either Oct. 15 or 16.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.