Cyclones go the distance, but lose to Atlantic
It’s often that sports can come down to the little things like communication or one or two plays going differently. That certainly proved to be the case for the HCHS varsity volleyball team as Thursday night at home, they battled the Atlantic Trojans and dropped three of five sets played after having a 2-1 advantage on them heading into set four.
Before the game, Seniors Lauren McLaughlin, Ellie Ineson, Madison Kjergaard, Haley Bladt and Macy Reischl got honored for the final time on the volleyball court as they will soon graduate.
“They are a great group of girls, so it brought a lot of emotions to see them play one more time,” said Head Coach Elle Crees. “I will miss each of their competitive spirits and hard work ethic.”
The Cyclones were fighting hard and keeping most of the games close, trying to do everything in their power to win, but it just wasn’t working out in their favor. Crees afterwards gave them some positive words to keep their heads up.
“I told them to take away the positives and be ready to finish in the next competition by being tough and competitive,” she added.
Kjergaard, who leads the squad with 226 digs, was saving potential points from the Trojans throughout the night. Crees commented on her determination to win.
“Madison has so much passion for the game,” she said. “She uses that to excel herself in so many ways especially when it comes to not letting any balls drop.”
Crees was using multiple combinations on the court throughout their sets against Atlantic, but one combination of players that had great chemistry up at the net were Juniors Erika Rust and Samantha Ineson, along with Sophomore Macy Mueller. Rust leads the team with 30 blocks, while Ineson leads the team with 135 kills.
“They all have so many different strengths that really play well together,” Crees added. “We scored a lot of points with them in the front row together attacking wise and blocking wise. Macy did a good job getting them the ball where they needed it.”
With this loss to the Trojans, it puts the Cyclones record at 10-12 on the season. Crees highlighted what needs to be worked on and cleaned up moving forward.
“Our ability to stay tough and aggressive during tough matches is what we need to work on the most,” she said. “This is something that all of the girls can do with a mental switch.”
The Cyclones next opponents will be the Glenwood Rams, 11-18 and the St. Albert Saintes, 13-17, Tuesday as they prepare to battle them on the road at Glenwood High School.
“They will both be very competitive,” Crees said. “It will be fun to watch some strong hitter and defense go head-to-head.”