Although nearly dog tired, netters beat Huskies in four

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After doggedly playing through a hectic stretch of games, the Raiders girls volleyball team found their dogs were really barking, but they then had a much slower week – until the Huskies came to town.

That Big Rivers Conference rival, Eau Claire North, battled for four games with Hudson, but the Raiders came out the victor 20-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-23.

“We started game one by giving up eight consecutive points with poor play, but by mid-game we were starting to execute much better,” said Coach Dennis Saathoff. “Losing that game by five showed the girls that they could outplay North when they were playing well.”

That momentum carried over into the next three games, both offensively and defensively, Saathoff said. “We started to really get things going with the middle attack and when their blockers began keying on our middle, we got the sets outside and that really opened up the court for us.”

Defensively, the Raider blockers were making the Husky hitters adjust, which they didn’t do well enough. “Our libero, Katie Deutsch, was really reading the ball and the hitters well and she was making some remarkable digs,” Saathoff said. Kami Johnson, Natalie Horsman and Britni Eberlin all picked up a lot of balls that North tipped over the blockers.

Offensively the Raiders were led by Rachael Saathoff, who recorded 10 kills in 19 attempts. Morgan Zabel, Jennifer Schemenauer, Cat Malin and Alicia Bower all contributed to the offense, Coach Saathoff said. Bower, Schemenauer and Zabel also led the team in blocks, combining for seven of the team’s nine total blocks. “The attack was so balanced through every rotation that the setting duo of Lindsey Burton and Amber Saathoff both ended up with 21 assists, and both went through all four games without missing a serve,” Coach Saathoff said.

This was a match were Hudson really played up to its potential, he said. “Even when they were behind, the girls remained confident in themselves and their teammates. They found a way to get the big side-out or point when it was really necessary.

“Hopefully this will carry through the rest of the season,” Coach Saathoff said, “as we have only two conference matches remaining.” There are also two non-conference dates, the Big Rivers Conference tournament and then regionals.

Tags: sports, hudson, volleyball, girls