Week #10 - Kinder, Wiser and Stronger: Volleyball Badgers Win on the Road!

With the crowd at full throttle, Emory served right at the opposing libero - and the ball hit the floor for an ace. Moments later, she served right into the doughnut area in the middle, another ace. WCDS called timeout, hoping to rattle our talented freshman, but it is impossible to shake Emory's confidence. She took a deep breath, tossed the ball, ignored the noise, and hit a tough serve in the back left corner. After a short rally, Lola tipped the ball over the opposing blocker, and the game was tied. After their second timeout, WCDS struggled to return Emory's next serve, digging the ball right to Maya - playing middle back. Maya passed it to Sofia, who passed it back, and Maya smashed it just barely over the net for a kill. Now in the lead, Emory continued her streak - another ace into the middle of the floor, and the Badgers won 25-23 and led 2-0.

 

Emory's poise is emblematic of the way Tandem carried themselves today. It would have been easy to express our irritation in a negative way - instead Sofia channeled it into a sequence of aces in the fourth set.  Zella's jump serve was incredible and intimidating - as was her game defensively. There were a number of lengthy rallies in this contest, and every time WCDS thought they had found an open spot, Zella was there - perfect platform - passing the ball to Sofia. No matter the location of the second ball, Sofia sprinted and got there - setting up our hitters. Whether the pass was high in the air or low to the ground, Fia found a way to get there - diving to the very hard floor - keeping the ball alive. Lola had an amazing game on the outside - soft tips or powerful slams - both were very effective!

 

Cora got the magic going. She smashed the first hit of the game, giving Tandem an early lead. Elisabeth was electric in the middle - tremendous defensively with a sequence of blocks - and just as solid with her tips over the blockers. Claire was elite as a server. Over the course of four sets, she had nine aces, giving Tandem a major edge in an otherwise close game.

 

The Badgers won this match in four - 25-19, 25-23, 18-25, 25-19. I was proud of our team for the victory, improving our record to 9-6. I was even more proud of the way the Badgers carried themselves - with kindness, wisdom and strength on the road in a hostile environment. Instead of getting frustrated, they let their game do the talking, and that kind of noise is absolutely beautiful. Well done, Varsity Volleyball. You're outstanding players - and better people.

 

The Varsity Badgers return to action for their final regular season game on Thursday at Miller at 5:30.

 

Middle School Volleyball wrapped up their season today with a big win against Community Christian Academy. Way to finish strong! Congratulations to the Middle School Volleyball team on an impressive and super fun season - the Badgers defeated STAB, Covenant, Eastern Mennonite and more - and with a deep roster of 17 players - the future is bright! Well done Middle School Volleyball!

 

Congratulations also to Grace, who won the NICA Bike Race this weekend at Monticello!