Wolves struggles continue with 8th straight loss
It has been a bumpy road as of late for the IKM-Manning volleyball team with their eighth consecutive loss coming Thursday night at home against the Audubon Wheelers, losing three straight sets, 25-10, 25-23, and 25-13.
“Going into the season we knew that we had a tough schedule and we have to be ready to play every night,” said Wolves Head Coach McKaylie Croghan. “We just really push staying positive with our teammates, and trying to create momentum on our side of the net.”
The first serve of the night belonged to the Wheelers, who gained momentum right away. Following the timeout, with them leading 17-9, the Wheelers went on a 8-1 streak that closed out set one and gave them the victory.
Set two was more of a battle with lead changes on both sides in a back-and-forth affair. The Wheelers were ahead 22-20, but then the Wolves managed to tie the set at 22 points apiece forcing a timeout.
“I talked about how we have to keep the ball alive on our side, and stay on our toes ready to move,” Croghan said.
The set concluded with the combination of seniors Addie Hocker assisting to Mattie Nielsen who scored the final point.
Set three began with the Wheelers taking on the momentum, ultimately closing out the set by 12 points and earning their 13th win of the season. Despite the loss, Croghan highlighted some positives during this tough stretch, including some seniors, one of which led the Wolves with nine assists and the other leading in blocks with one and kills with two.
“The girls continue to hustle and work hard in practice and in games,” she said. “It’s been enjoyable watching Megan and Ella both grow and step into a leadership role this year. All the girls do a nice job of contributing to our success. We really emphasize that stats don’t show everything, because everything starts with a pass.”
For the Wolves, they fall to 2-11 on the season. They will get some time to rest before their next opponent, the 6-17 AHSTW Vikings, Thursday on the road, who are coming off a win in their most recent match during a weekend tournament against the Panorama Panthers winning two consecutive sets.
The Vikings are led by Lauren Yates with 152 assists, Delaney Goshorn with 159 kills and 37 blocks, and Grayson Gettler with 194 digs.
“We have to be ready to play on Thursday and we will continue to work on serve receive which we have been struggling with the last few games,” Croghan said.