Hodag volleyball can’t keep up with Pines

The Rhinelander High School volleyball team was done in by big runs Tuesday as it was swept at home by Northland Pines in Great Northern Conference play at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.

It was part of what continues to be a long season for a young and banged up squad. The Hodags (2-27, 0-5 Great Northern) did snap an 18-match losing streak with a win over Bruce this past Saturday in the six-team Phillips Invite, but were unable to carry that momentum into Tuesday’s home match with the Eagles.

“The first set, we played hard. We had good energy throughout the whole thing. We didn’t give up on it. It’s just like, we just can’t get the momentum and we can’t put a way a ball,” Hodag coach Jayme Wyss said. “It’s the same theme all the time. We’re very young and inexperienced.”

Early runs in each set helped Pines take control. Rhinelander led on only two occasions during the match, and both were just one-point advantages. 

The Eagles used spurts of four and five points to go up 13-4 in the opening set and Rhinelander was never able to get any closer than eight points the rest of the way as it fell 25-14. Freshman Alyssa Kevilus got on a serving run that included four aces in the second set as the Eagles used a 10-0 push to take a 12-3 lead. Another five-point run on the serve of Eden Smith made it 18-4 before the Eagles took the second 25-11. Those two had service runs of six points each to help Pines go up 14-1 in the third set before cruising to a 25-8 win in the finale.

“That’s frustrating. It’s like, who’s struggling? Like the ones who should be my leaders and then they come out and they’re like, ‘there’s nothing special. We’re fine.’ You just need everybody clicking, when you don’t have everybody clicking (you struggle),” Wyss said.

The Hodags struggled to get offense going much of the night. Senior Tori Stella paced the team with three kills while Kylie Treder, Olivia Ruetz and Vayda Ives had two kills each. The team hit at a .026 clip on the night with 14 kills and 12 errors in 78 chances. Only six of Rhinelander’s kills had assists, with Kylie Treder and Addy Wiczek recording three assists each.

Kayla Skubal led Rhinelander with 13 digs while Stella had seven and Cassidy Lindner had six. Freshman Corynn Waksmonski recorded a pair of block kills to lead the team in that category.

“There’s things that are just frustrating and there was like, obviously good moments,” Wyss said. “Vayda had a really good line kill. I’ve never seen that out of her. She just goes cross, cross, cross, and she has a nice swing. 

“Corynn was huge at the net, really big blocks, even if she didn’t get a block kill, at least she’s making them work and scramble. We couldn’t pick up like any, hardly any of the blocks that they had on us, like, and we’ve worked on this stuff.”

    Rhinelander’s Libbey Buchmann, far right, is congratulated by teammates Vayda Ives, Corynn Waksmonski, Kenzie Paulson and Kylie Treder after service an ace during the first set of a GNC volleyball match against Northland Pines at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium Tuesday, Sept. 30. Buchmann hit the serve as a ceremonial gesture on senior night, unable to play due to season-ended knee surgery. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Four different played recorded a service ace for Rhinelander. That included senior Libbey Buchmann, who came out in a ceremonial role on senior nigh — less than four-weeks after season-ending knee surgery. Buchmann hit the opening serve of the match to the opposite sideline the Eagles dove for, but could not play cleanly.  

Wyss admitted she was apprehensive to let Buchmann serve, considering her injury, but it ended up being the most poignant moment of the night for the Hodags. 

“I’m glad she went and got an ace. She knew that I didn’t want her to do it. I let her do it, and she said, thank you. That meant a lot, because it’s Libbey. Even their senior speeches, I’m pretty stoic about that, but Libbey’s serve and ace, that …, “ Wyss said as her voice trailed off and she fought back tears.

Phillips Invite

The Hodags played some competitive matches last Saturday, but struggled to get over the hump at the Phillips Invite, losing four of their five matches. 

Rhinelander started the day with straight-set losses against the teams that were eventually tri-champs of the invite — Prentice (25-20, 25-17), Mellen (25-16, 25-19) and Phillips (25-11, 25-11). The Hodags got back in the win column, rallying from down a set, and down 19-15 in the second to defeat Bruce 21-25, 25-24, 15-10. The Hodags closed with a three-set loss against Chequamegon, falling 25-21, 15-25, 15-8.

“Three-way tie for Mellen, Phillips, and Prentice, so losing to (Mellen) was frustrating but at least not shocking since we lost to Prentice before,” Wyss told the River News via text after Saturday’s matches. “Beat Bruce, but it took 3 sets. First set was horrendous — quiet, and I think we played afraid to lose. Like they don’t know how to believe they can win. Went to three with Chequamegon. (Played) great volleyball.”

Olivia Ruetz and a team-high 22-kills last Saturday and hit at a 17-percent clip. Stella had 17 kills and 61 digs, Treder had 43 assists and Skubal recorded 95 digs. 

Up next  

The Hodags traveled to Medford Thursday to face the Raiders in a GNC match that concluded after press time. Rhinelander will close the conference play at home against Merrill this coming Tuesday.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].