Hodag volleyball drops four matches in opener

Coach Jayme Wyss is hoping for improvement for this year’s RHS volleyball squad but, for that to happen, a young team will likely need to come of age quickly. 

The Hodags got their first action of the season Tuesday, going 0-4 at the Stevens Point Invite. Following a three-set loss to Berlin to start the day, the Hodags were swept in straight sets by Stevens Point, Northland Pines and Wisconsin Rapids.

Youth is Rhinelander’s main theme of the year, with nearly half of the varsity roster comprised of freshmen. The team has not had much time to play together as a group, so Wyss said Tuesday was about adjusting on the fly with its new personnel.

“Just adapting a lot. I felt like the girls played a lot better together. We had a lot better energy. Our morning was honestly really strong. We had great passes. We were able to run our hitters better,” she said.

That will likely be the case for Rhinelander much of the season as the roster is expected to take a significant hit. Senior Libbey Buchmann, the team’s lone returning all-conference player and leader in several statistical categories last year, played Tuesday and is expected to see some time at this weekend’s Lake Mills Tournament in Wisconsin Dells while playing with a balky right knee. However, Wyss said she’s expected to undergo a procedure next week that will likely cost her most, if not all, of the remainder of the season. 

“By the end of the tournament today, I had Libbey out there full time. And I was like, I know you can’t transition … I know the moments where like the ball drops because she’s not healthy. Like she just can’t get there,” Wyss said. “I know Libbey’s going to be next to me on the bench and I’m going to love that because I love hearing her thoughts, but man, I wish she was on the floor.”

Buchmann primarily played setter on Tuesday, accumulating a team-high 23 assists. She also had eight kills, 15 digs and five service aces. 

The Hodags won their opening set against Berlin 25-22 on Tuesday, dropped the second 22-25 and the decisive third set 7-15. Rhinelander couldn’t sustain early leads in either set against Stevens Point, falling 25-15, 25-16. A sluggish restart after the lunch break saw the Hodags fall to Northland Pines 25-10, 25-9. Rhinelander narrowly missed pushing its final match to a decisive third set, falling to Wisconsin Rapids 25-14, 28-26.

“It’s going to be a really rocky start, and even maybe the whole season, but I know down the road it’s going to get better. I like this morning when we lost, honestly, the energy and how well we played, the losses didn’t feel like losses,” Wyss said. “Going against Pines where they didn’t show up. That felt terrible. I was like, I’m back to last year where I’m just frustrated, right? And then, and then the first set again Rapids, it was kind of frustrating. But by the second set, it was like, ‘OK, girls, let’s fight.’ And they took ownership in that and I felt like they came back a lot stronger.”

    Rhinelander’s Kenzie Paulson bumps the ball during a non-conference volleyball match against Berlin in Stevens Point Tuesday, Aug. 26. Paulson, a freshman, led the Hodags with 10 kills on the day. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Freshman Kenzie Paulson led the Hodags with 10 kills on the day. Junior Ava Rathbun had six kills, freshman Corynn Waksmonski and junior Cassidy Lindner had five kills each.

Freshman Kylie Treder split time at setter with Buchmann and had 15 assists on the day. She and fellow freshman Addy Wiczek are expected to see more time in that role with Buchmann’s impending absence.

Senior libero Tori Stella had a team-high 19 digs while freshman Maddie Paulson had 16. Junior Olivia Ruetz paced the team with four blocks.  

Senior Kayla Skubal was also limited on Tuesday due to a back issue. That meant, at times, the Hodags had as many four freshmen on the floor at once. 

“We’re missing players, we’re down players. We’re doing funky things. We’re super young. So it’s going to be rough. I might end up having five freshmen out there at some point, but I know that we’ll have good things to come. It’s just I wish it would be happening sooner,” Wyss said.

Rhinelander begins a two-day tournament in Wisconsin Dells today. Due to an early Labor Day weekend deadline, brief recaps of each day’s play will be posted online this weekend on RiverNewsOnline.com and a full report will appear in the Friday, Sept. 5 edition of the River News.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].