Spencer volleyball wins 2, loses 3 at home tourney
The Spencer Rockets hosted their home volleyball tournament this past Saturday and, after a full day of volleyball, finished roughly in the middle of the pack. The team lost three matches and won two.
Versus Prentice The day began with a best-of-three match against Prentice. The first set was tight, but Prentice narrowly pulled out the win, 25-23. In the second set, Prentice got out to a head start, going up 5-1, but the Rockets battled their way back point by point. Spencer freshman Carmen Krause and senior Hannah Reckner spiked the ball for a kill and senior Claudia Krause strategically tipped the ball to help get the Rockets within one point, 9-8.
But just as quickly as the Rockets had gained momentum, they lost it with a few mistakes, including a poor pass and thinking the ball was out when it was actually in. Prentice went on a six-point run to make it 15-8. Spencer added another point after Claudia Krause and sophomore Autumn Davis worked together to block a Prentice kill attempt. But, Prentice kept gradually pulling away and Spencer couldn’t regain the momentum they had enjoyed in the first set. Prentice won 25-11 to take the match 2-0.
Versus Rib Lake Not to be brought down by their recent loss, Spencer went into the game against Rib Lake with plenty of energy, which showed as they kept pace with their opponent, tying at 2, 3 and 4 points. Then the Rockets took off with a six-point scoring run, helped by several Rib Lake mistakes, including a short serve and four hits that either went into the net or out of bounds.
When the Rib Lake players regained their composure, they went on a five-point run of their own to make it 119, still in Spencer’s favor. However, Spencer made sure to stay ahead for the rest of the set, helped by some key plays, including a deep set by Claudia Krause to the back of the court where Rib Lake wasn’t expecting it, and kills by Reckner, Hannah Schreiner and Shelby Frisch. Although Spencer never got far enough ahead to get comfortable, they did pull off the win 25-19.
In the second set, Rib Lake jumped out of the gate and went up 4-1. The Rockets experienced a role reversal, as they were trailing for the first half of the set. Finally, they caught up and the teams tied at 12, then again at 13, 18 and 20. After a timeout and a long volley on the next point, Spencer finally broke through with a powerful hit by Carmen Krause. But right away on the next play, Spencer hit it out, allowing Rib Lake to tie them at 21. The teams tied again at 23 and 24. In the end, Rib Lake just pulled out the 26-24 win after Spencer misjudged a ball that would have been out and Rib Lake got an ace serve.
That left everything up to the third set. Much like the second, the teams stayed neck-and-neck, tying at 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 11 points. After that, Reckner served up an ace followed by a hit by Alexa Stange that was barely in bounds. That put Spencer up 13-11. Rib Lake called a timeout, scored a point and then served out to give the ball back to Spencer. On the next volley, Rib Lake sent a ball hurtling to the back corner to pick up one more point. However, Spencer had the final say. On the next point, Spencer placed a ball in the middle of the court and Rib Lake let it drop, unsure who was taking it. That was enough to give Spencer the 15-13 win and to win the match 2-1.
Other games The Rockets continued their tournament by playing Weyauwega-Fremont. This time, they lost two sets in a row, 25-19 and 25-14. They fared better against Manawa, defeating the Wolves by a considerable margin, 25-12 in the first set and 25-15 in the second. The day ended with a loss to Athens. The Bluejays defeated the Rockets in two sets, 25-10 and 25-18.
The Spencer girls also faced off against Owen-Withee (O-W) earlier in the week on Sept. 12. That best-of-five match started with O-W winning the first set 25-16. Lest the Blackhawks think they had the game in the bag, though, the Rockets turned up the temperature in the second set. While they didn’t win, they forced the set to a tight finish, 26-24. In the third, the Rockets defeated the Blackhawks 25-23 to force the game to another set. However, in the end, the Rockets simply ran out of steam and O-W won the fourth set 25-10 to seal the match 3-1.
The recent games put Spencer at a 6-10 record overall.
Racing for those yards
The Greenwood Indians had plenty of hands on the ball during their eight-man football game against the Gilman Pirates on Sept. 15. From left to right, Christopher Prusinski and Zachary Prusinski (middle and right photo) each got a hand in carrying the ball. The Pirates’ defense proved to be an insurmountable wall against the Indians, with Greenwood losing the game 61-0.
VALORIE BRECHT/STAFF PHOTOS
Spencer senior Hannah Reckner fires a shot over the net during a match against Rib Lake at the Rockets’ home tournament on Sept. 16.
VALORIE BRECHT/STAFF PHOTO
