Webster used an advantage from the service line to help offset a size disadvantage at the net Tuesday night at Roncalli Gym.
The Bearcats’ aggressive serving kept Sisseton out of system and helped to fuel a 25-18, 25-16, 25-22 win during the opening Round of the Region 1A volleyball tournament.
“That main thing in practice was, we were working on the serving to get them out of system,” said Webster coach Emily Wagner, “not let them set their tall 6-foot girls for sure. That was a big focus.”
That strategy worked as the Bearcats were able to use their serves to keep the Redmen scrambling instead of securing high-percentage looks at the net.
One of the biggest weapons behind the service line as Madison Block, who consistently fired serves that barely cleared the net and kept Sisseton on its heels.
“We watched film and we noticed that the harder and more aggressive our serves were, the more we could get them out of system,” Block said. “So, going into this game we really worked on hard, aggressive serves.”
Block said she learned how to serve from her mother, the former Tammy Kwasniewski, who played on a state championship squad for Webster.
Block refined her technique in her backyard while growing up.
“Lots and lots of practice. In middle school I served in my backyard with a tree branch,” Block said. “Serving is one of the things that I have worked on endlessly.”
That skill set helped to pave the way for a Bearcats win against Sisseton.
“She definitely did really good on the serving,” Wagner said. “That was our main takeaway. That was one thing we really focused on in practice.”
And it was the one thing that helped to negate Sisseton’s strength.
“When we’re out of system more often than they are, that takes our hitters out,” said Sisseton coach Deliah Lehrke. “We’ve got some really good hitters.”
In addition to strong serving, Webster also displayed a balanced hitting attack led by Mallory Steiner with 11 kills.
“Our setter Chloe (Mammenga) did a really good job of distributing the ball, making their blockers move, and then creating holes for our hitters,” Wagner said.
While it appeared that Webster might be on the verge of a sweep, the Redmen had other ideas. Sisseton bolted out to a 10-4 advantage to start the third set.
“It’s region time,” Wagner said of Sisseton’s refusal to go quietly. “It’s go time, so every set is precious, for sure.”
However, in the end, the Redmen were unable to sustain their momentum, eventually come up just short at the end.
“I think we just couldn’t find our groove a little bit. We’d show signs of life and then something would happen and then we’d like lose our momentum,” Lehrke said. “That’s kind of been our MO all year, is that the girls would get up and then something would happen and they’d get down sometimes. We struggled with bringing ourselves back up again and coming back.”
Webster’s route to victory would have been easier if not for the stellar play of Sisseton Libero Bella Donnell, who patrolled the back line, passing up one ball after another.
“I think it’s about just staying down low and being on your feet, and not staying on the back of your heels,” Donnell said, “and talking with your teammates in the back with you.”
The senior, who has been playing Libero since her freshman year, said her 5-foot 3-inch frame comes in handy when trying to figure out if serves will stay in or sail over the baseline.
“Well, I’m short so it kind of helps,” Donnell said. “If it’s over my head and I’m like two steps back, then I just know that it’s out. I just hope for the best that it’s out over the line.”
The match was the final one for eight Sisseton seniors who left their mark on the program.
“(We’re) young and then we have some really good young ones coming up,” Lehrke said. “I can’t take away from the seniors, because the seniors were great leaders this year, on the floor and off floor. I can’t say enough about them. They will be missed.”
Webster will now face Aberdeen Roncalli in the semifinals around 7:45 p.m. Thursday in Groton. Wagner said her squad will need to perform well.
“I think we definitely need to keep up with the aggressive serving,” Wagner said. “Our defense and communication needs to be a lot better, because they’re going to have some harder hits and definitely pull in different hitters from different positions.”
The goal, of course, is to keep playing for another day and another match.
“I think it’s going to be tough, but we’re in the mindset of advancing,” Block said. “We want to make it farther.”
Sisseton stats not reported
Serving: Webster 65-70 10 aces (Jersey Johnson 11-12 3 aces, Madison Block 18-19 3 aces, Kelsey Braun 6-7 2 aces).
Hitting: Webster 101-115 25 kills (Mallory Steiner 33-36 11 kills, Marlee Dornbusch 14-19 5 kills, Block 21-23 4 kills).
Setting: Webster 126-128 24 assists (Chloe Mammenga 104-106 23 assists).
Digs: Webster 73 (Block 20, Johnson 18, Mammenga 11).
Records: Sisseton 4-20; Webster 15-9.
