V-ball squad digs in after slow start

Coach Patti Ford has labeled this year’s season as a rebuilding one. The team lost six seniors and return only four upperclassmen and two sophomore starters.

After beginning the season with a 1-3 record at the Platteville tournament on Sept. 7-8 and losing to Coe, Monmouth and Concordia, the team looked like it was in for a tough road ahead.

However, at the Ripon tournament, the Falcons beat out Carroll, Martin Luther, and St. Norbert for a record of 3-1 for the weekend.

“We finally have settled into a starting rotation, and I think players feel very comfortable out on the court,” Ford said.

A particularly young team this season has found that the one true formula for winning is not to have good digs or blocks, but good teamwork and experience. With returning seniors Krista Russell and Courtney Schroeder, and juniors Drew Hample and Nina Cooper as well as sophomores Kelsey Scheele and Gina DeRosa, the Falcons can definitely pull together a good team effort to help the rest of the team figure out their place on the court.

One headliner in the bunch is Scheele leading the team in the Ripon Tournament with a total of 57 kills for the weekend. Accompanying those numbers was an All-Tournament award given to Scheele for the second time this season.

Looking forward to the weeks ahead, the Falcons have a tough grouping of games. They started conference play on Wednesday against Superior, and on Saturday they play Steven’s Point. The girls are starting on the bottom of the pack with a record of 4-9.

“Our goal, as we enter conference play, is to compete at the highest level,” Ford said. “The WIAC is a tough conference, and this year is no different than years of the past.”