Wolves volleyball eliminated by Wolverines

The IKM-Manning Wolves volleyball team battled the River City Wolverines Wednesday night in the Class 1A Region 7 Quarterfinal Game, but lost three straight sets (25-12, 25-23, & 25-23), ending their season.
“We’ve done a lot of things this year that we haven’t done for a long time, like winning the first round regional game for the first time since 2017,” said Wolves Head Coach McKaylie Croghan. “A lot to be proud of and we are going to return all of our players next year.”
Out of the gate, the Wolves struggled to get their offense going, losing set one 25-12, but bounced back moving the next two sets closer with 25-23 losses.
“I just wish we could’ve came out better in set one,” Croghan said. “I think if we could have came out better in the first game, it could’ve changed the night, but it is what it is.”
Despite dropping three straight sets, some highlights from the Wolves offense were Keagan Eischeid coming away with 12 kills, and Addisyn Bandow having 10 kills. Karlee Arp led the team with 22 assists, and Grace Carroll had 14 digs.
“We played really good defense last night,” Croghan added. “We got to balls that we haven’t got to most of the year. They just understood the assignment, and understood where they needed to be and I think they did really well with that.”
The Wolves finish their season with an overall record of 14-17, a huge jump from where they ended their 2023 season with a record of 4-22. Croghan spoke on the improvements in the program.
“I think it shows a lot for our future and how good we can be,” she said. “We’ve talked a lot about offseason work with the weight room, playing more if they can. Also, if we can make the same amount of growth that we did from last year, then I think it can be a good year.”
Seniors Laynie Gawley and Alikxa McGinn will graduate, and despite not getting much varsity action, Croghan acknowledged their contributions to the program and wished them luck in their future endeavors.
“They came to practice with really good attitudes,” Croghan said of the seniors. “I wish them really good luck next year in whatever they decide to do.”
Even with the season being over, Croghan is optimistic about the future of Wolves volleyball, hoping to build off this season.
“We have a really good group of girls,” she said. “It’s just fun to be around them and it’s hard not going to practice tonight, and we didn’t want it to end.”