As the Badgers dropped their 3-1 loss against the visiting Hornets Sept. 12, it looked like their hopes of a conference title were doomed. But a revenge tour began the next day when they walked inside the gym.
Match photos click here.
As the Badgers dropped their 3-1 loss against the visiting Hornets Sept. 12, it looked like their hopes of a conference title were doomed. But a revenge tour began the next day when they walked inside the gym.
“We have been working really well together and gelling, compared to the beginning of the season,” sophomore Marissa Rish said. “We have been working hard in practice, which is a crucial point, and we’ve also come into games with big energy while taking control of every game that we play in and knowing what we have to do to dominate.”
While the Badgers stole a win at Kirtland Sept. 28, the team has also swept their rival, the Cardinal Huskies, for two straight seasons.
In the first set of the two teams’ match-up, the Huskies had the set tied at 10 before the Badgers rattled off eight straight points. This came from the senior setter Sammi Winter. During the run, Winter tallied three aces behind the service line.
After a slew of errors from the Huskies, the Badgers were able to stay in control and take a commanding set one victory, 25-13.
The second set began in similar fashion. After a hitting error from the Badgers, the set was tied up at five before another long run at the service line for the Badgers, this time behind the arm of Rish.
That’s where the setters of Berkshire did a great job distributing the wealth of their offense. The team leader in kills, Maddie Smetana, who averages 4.4 kills per set, was assisted by middle blocker Kirsten Shaffer. She recorded 12 kills in a sweep of their rival.
The Badgers took set two, 25-14, behind a well balanced offensive showdown.
“Having two setters helps us mix things up, and keeps the other side guessing,” Shaffer said. “Knowing and trusting our setters helps us hit the spots that we know we can, and everyone helps point those out.”
The middle blocker is ranked second on the team in kills per set, with two.
The balanced attack was key to the Badgers’ victory, applying pressure to the service line.
To begin the third set, it was Kate Miller who forced the Huskies, trailing 6-0, to call an early time out. From there, Berkshire picked apart Cardinal’s defense, and would go on to take set three, 25-12.
The Huskies found success when the ball got into the hands of sophomore outside hitter Ali Puruczky leading the way; senior middle blocker Carissa Loucks added two.
Puruczky was coming off of a hot game where she tallied a career-high 18 kills.
“We were really excited about tonight’s contest after taking Kirtland to four sets,” Maddie Ehrhardt said. “That was a really big deal for us, because we haven’t done that in a while. We are building from the ground up, and we were trying to keep that momentum coming into tonight’s game.”
Ehrhardt leads the team in assists this season with 313, and picked up 2.8 digs per set.
Cardinal will host Chalker on Oct. 18 for their first round of the playoffs, and hope to play with the same fight and energy they displayed against Kirtland.
“Working in and out of the gym has been very helpful,” said senior defensive specialist Emma Geesling. “We have done a lot of team bonding to get that team feel and to keep that chemistry on the court and try to finish plays, and put the ball down.”
The Badgers earned a bye in their first round of the playoffs as the five seed, and will play the winner of Champion and Kirtland.
