After defeating Twin Valley in the BCIAA final on Monday, the Wilson girls volleyball team picked up right where it left off on Tuesday as the Bulldogs defeated South Western 3-0 in a District 3 Class 4A first-round match at West Lawn.
Sixth-seeded Wilson won 25-15, 25-20, 25-9, carrying the momentum from start to finish, only trailing 1-0 in the second set.
The Bulldogs (18-3) will travel to third-seeded Elizabethtown on Thursday for a quarterfinal. The Bears (16-1) defeated 14th-seeded Exeter 3-0 on Tuesday.
“I was a little concerned because the next day is a natural letdown kind of thing after last night’s high,” Wilson coach Denny Werner said. “So I was pleased. We were a little sloppy. in the second set and let them get back close to 20-20. So in the third set, we kind of regrouped. I said, ‘Let’s not mess around here. Let’s put it to him.’
“So you know, it’s natural to have a little bit of a letdown. But I was pleased overall with how we finished moving into the next match. So that was good.”
For Wilson, Kassidy Means had 13 kills and seven digs; Airyanna Kline had nine kills; Adarrah Danner had two aces and 15 digs; Bintou Sissoho had seven kills; Nia Kendall had four kills, one assist and three digs; Jasilyn Moncada had an ace and seven digs; Elon Ruley-Donadelle had three kills; Sarah Elk had three aces and two digs; and Cameryn Niedrowski had one kill, two aces 35 assists and three digs.
“After winning the county title, it’s just a good feeling,” Niedrowski said. “And we were confident from that so I think you could tell that it carried over into this game.”
According to Werner, Niedrowski’s ability to run the offense as the starting setter propels an offense that is known for powerful kills.
“In my estimation she’s the best setter in District 3,” Werner said. “She runs a very fast-tempo offense. She’s very athletic. Last night, she had 45 assists, and then she had seven aces, with no errors last night, too. So she she makes us go; she’s the catalyst to everything we do.
“She’s a little bit under the radar because in volleyball it’s always about the big kills. Well she’s giving them the big kills; she’s serving it up to them to have the big kill. So it’s kind of like the point guard in basketball or the quarterback in football.”
Niedrowski said she believes the success of the Wilson offense is fueled by the team’s strong communication.
Leading 24-20 in the second set against the 11th-seeded Mustangs (11-6), Niedrowski invitingly set the ball high for Means to spike with authority in the middle of the Mustang’s court for the set-clinching kill. The play was an exemplification of the instinctive teamwork that led to the Bulldog’s 37 kills.
“It’s probably just communication and trust,” Niedrowski said. “I know where they’re supposed to be and they know where my set is going. So having those two things combined, it just makes it good.”
The Bulldogs head into Thursday’s quarterfinal having won eight straight games, their only loss in any set over that span in the 3-1 victory over Twin Valley Monday. Niedrowksi said she believes the confidence from the recent victories will continue to carry over.
“I think the energy going up there is really high,” Niedrowski said. “I think if we do well it will carry over and we know that when we’re playing at our best we can stick around with any team.”
Werner said he hopes Tuesday’s match was the start of an even longer postseason run.
“We’re just looking forward to playing on Thursday,” Werner said. “This next match is the match that leads to you making states; if you win the next (quarterfinal) match the four teams go to states, so you’re automatically in no matter what seed you are. So Thursday is huge in that respect.”
Source: Berkshire mont
Be First to Comment