The River Falls volleyball team plans to beat Woodbury 3-0 every time they play, and that’s exactly what they did on September 17. They won 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-21).
River Falls has had to deal with losses to some key players for most of the season. Senior outside hitter Maddy Range has been slowly getting more playing time while middle blocker Addy Nesbitt is hurt and can’t play.
Head Coach Sara Kealy said, “We’ve been working on getting Maddy back into the lineup more and more as she’s gotten better, but it’s been hard because you can’t ease one kid back in when you have another hole.” “This is about the fourth lineup we’ve had this season.”
Kealy said Range was sure of himself and ready to play, and the player looked as fit as ever on the court.
She played with confidence and wasn’t shy or scared, which is what you’d expect after an accident like hers, Kealy said. “I was really, really happy with both her performance on her own and how the rest of the group came together to support her.”
Kealy said, “Our motto this year was fight on and out team, and I think that’s what we’ve had to do.”
Kealy praised how the players could fill in for others and play together no matter what role they were in. Brooke Dusek stood out to Kealy because she played turns in the middle even though she is only 5 feet 6 inches tall on the right side.
Kealy said she has done well despite the challenge. Kealy has also used 5-foot-7 Abby Gilbertson in the middle because Nesbitt was hurt, and she said it was important that both players could adjust.
How quickly the team beat Woodbury was due to how well they served, received, and passed the ball. Kealy said it might have been the team’s best passing game since he started teaching at River Falls, and they beat their statistical goal.
“Our serve and receive were great.” We want to get a 2.0. If you get a 2.0, that means you passed most of the time. A three means you did perfectly, and a zero means you did perfectly. “And we passed a 2.5 after the second set,” Kealy said. “In the 15 years I’ve worked here, I think that was our best night of passing as a team.”
Kealy thinks that this statistic is a tribute to the whole team, not just one person.
After dealing with illness, River Falls is working hard to get back to full strength. However, the Wildcats will be facing some tough teams in the next few weeks.
River Falls beat Eau Claire Memorial 3-0 on Thursday. Eau Claire Memorial is one of only three teams in the Big Rivers Conference that hasn’t lost yet. The other two are River Falls and Hudson. The Wildcats then played in a huge event at the Milwaukee Sting Center with some of the state’s best teams.
On October 3, River Falls plays Hudson, who is 20-0 and beat the Wildcats in the Menomonie Sprawl earlier in the season. Kealy said that the Wildcats are sure they can beat anyone when they are fit.
Kealy said of the teams that lost, “All three were really, really good teams, but I think we weren’t playing at full strength against all three.” “I would pick us over those three teams any day if we were at full strength.”
Kealy said that their 19-14 record last year was by no means a perfect season, but they used every loss as a chance to get better, and it all paid off when they made it to the state competition. They still want to improve their record this season, and they hope to have the same learning situations.
Kealy said, “You can lose a match now and then as long as you learn from it.” “In the end, we want to be the best volleyball team when the playoffs come around.”
No matter what, they expect to win 3-0 every night. It still feels good to see their hard work pay off after the sweeps.
Kealy said, “It’s nice to see them use the things we’ve worked on and then have success with it.” “It just shows them that what they’re doing is working and that we’re moving in the right direction.”