After a big week away, Bowman returned last Thursday, Sept. 22 to the Solberg Gymnasium to take on Dickinson High JV.
By JENNIFER HOLECEK
After a big week away, Bowman returned last Thursday, Sept. 22 to the Solberg Gymnasium to take on Dickinson High JV. The girls pulled out a victory 3-2. The girls had to adjust to a new offense as one of the main setters, Kaylee Septon, was unable to play. Additionally, Kelsie Goodshield, normally middle blocker, played left side hitter as Lindsey Dix was also out. In spite of these setbacks, the Bulldogs fought hard to win. Notable statistics include Goodshield with 5 aces, Ellie Stafford with 11 kills, Josie Smyle with 23 assists, and Goodshield with 15 digs.
The Bulldogs headed to Belle Fouche on Saturday and played some of the best teams in the state of SD. The Bulldogs took on Phillip, Hill City, and Lead-Deadwood in pool play. While the Dawgs didn’t win any of their matches, they certainly played some of their most impressive volleyball of the season against these teams. Our coaching staff felt it was great preparation for our big game homecoming week against New England.
The Bulldogs hadn’t played New England, but had watched them at the Watford City tournament earlier in the season. The girls knew New England would be a challenging team. The volleyball team came out smoking hot in the first set, serving 92 percent in as a team, and putting ten kills with a .625 hitting percentage. The ball was moved around really well offensively, as the ten kills were shared by 6 different players. Goodshield and Stafford each had two blocks for 4 total team blocks. New England struggled to get going, had several service errors, and the Bulldogs pulled out a 25-13 victory.
New England came out much stronger in the second set, and the Bulldogs struggled initially to have the same offensive power as in the first set. The team came from being down 7-1 to end with a 23-25 deficit. In set 3, the Bulldogs again struggled at the net a bit, committing five attack errors, and 6 blocking errors. In set 4, the girls settled back into a better rhythm, their serving percentage rising above 90 percent again over a slight drop in set 3. New England came on strong with an aggressive offense, and the Bulldogs answered back, putting up impressive blocks to counter their offensive attacks. Digging struggled a bit in this set with 7 errors. The Bulldog offense suffered the most in this set, with the team’s hitting percentage following below zero. In spite of these setbacks, the Bulldogs and Tigers were tied up at 23-23 and in a marathon volley, the Bulldogs lost the point to the Tigers on a net violation. With the serve returning to them, the Tigers were able win the match point, and close the night 3-1 against the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs served the best they have all season at 89.9 percent. They also had a season high 35 kills, and 0.136 hitting percentage as a team. The Lady Bulldogs put up 21 total blocks, but not all of them resulted in points. Even though the girls lost the match, they played a very impressive game. Look for more great things to come from these girls as they continue to improve this season. We invite the community to join us next week Tuesday as we take on another regional team, the Glen Ullin/Hebron Bearcats.
Jennifer Holecek is the head volleyball coach for Bowman County High School.
