ELLEN MORTENSEN

*Editor’s Note: Last week’s South Loup volleyball article did not meet the journalistic standard that we at Syndicate Publishing have set for ourselves and our papers. For that, I as editor, do apologize. We will continue to work hard and do better at upholding those standards to create a community newspaper we the writers, and you the readers, can all be proud of.

The Lady Bobcats participated in the Mid-Nebraska Athletic Conference (MNAC) volleyball tournament this past weekend, where they played three games and ultimately finished in third place.

The Bobcats met the Brady Lady Eagles in the first round on Thursday, Oct. 12, in the Sandhills High School gym in Dunning. South Loup was able to take the first two hard-fought sets, 25-19 and 25-18. Brady came back strong in the third set, however, not ready to give up, to win it 25-21. The Bobcats left no doubt as to who was the dominant team at the end of set four, winning 25-16.

Individual stats for the Bobcats v Eagles were as follows: Grace Bierman- 3 Ace Serves, 14 Digs Riata Remund- 14 Digs Maggie Birkel- 1 Ace Serve, 1 Kill, 17 Digs Delaney Rogers- 7 Kills, 2 Ace Blocks, 11 Digs Bryn Schwarz- 12 Kills, 16 Assists, 30 Digs Charli Vickers- 3 Ace Serves, 11 Kills, 3 Ace Blocks, 27 Digs Delaynie Laible- 1 Kill, 2 Assists, 30 Digs Josie Reiff- 1 Kill, 34 Digs Reiff also accomplished a Season Milestone of 500 Digs during this game!

“It's always great to get another opportunity to play a team that we lost to, to see if we can bring a better outcome the second time around. That is exactly what they did,” said a very happy Bobcats Head Coach Desiree Guthrie. “The girls played aggressive and smart. They attacked weak spots on the other side of the court while making sure they controlled their own side. The girls really played well as a team, showing their ability to play at a high level while maintaining the mental side of the game and moving past their own errors to keep competing from the 1st point scored to the last point scored.”

The Bobcats moved on to the second round of action as they met a tough Sandhills-Thedford team at MPCC in North Platte. Coming off of the momentum of Thursday’s win against Brady, the Lady Bobcats came out strong in set one and kept it close throughout, eventually dropping the set 23-25. They were never able to quite find their footing against the Lady Knights in the next two sets, losing those 16-25 and 14-25.

Stats v Sandhills-Thedford:

Grace Bierman- 18 Digs Greeley Hrupek- 9 Digs Charli Pandorf- 2 Digs Aubrie Birkel- 2 Digs Riata Remund- 1 Ace Block, 10 Digs Maggie Birkel- 1 Ace Serve, 7 Digs Delaney Rogers- 5 Kills, 2 Ace Blocks, 6 Digs Bryn Schwarz- 4 Ace Serves, 3 Kills, 1 Ace Block, 11 Assists, 25 Digs Charli Vickers- 1 Ace Serve, 8 Kills, 1 Ace Block, 24 Digs Delaynie Laible- 1 Assist, 9 Digs Josie Reiff- 35 Digs “Going into this game we knew we had our work cut out for us playing the #1 seed; this was our third meeting with this team and knew it would be a battle,” said Coach Guthrie. “We came out very strong and executed our side of the game very well. Covering the court defensively while attacking precisely offensively. Sandhills Thedford has a very solid base in all six rotations offensively and defensively. The girls put up a solid fight but just came up short in this game.”

That set up the Lady Bobcats against Ansel- mo-Merna for third place. Like their first game of the tournament, this one also went four sets and also found South Loup on top.

The first three sets were back and forth, coming down to the wire. All three ended with the same score; South Loup took set one 25-23, the Coyotes fought back to win the second 23-25, the Bobcats took the third 25-23, and spread the score to a more comfortable 25-19 win in the fourth.

“Going into this game we had played A-M two previous times, resulting in a split, one win to them and one win to us. So having us play for the 3rd Place finish at Conference was fitting,” Coach Guthrie commented. “Having played them previously gave us a pretty solid idea of what to expect from their side of the court, and how we could best defend their offense. We put up some great numbers from the service line and played very solid defense. The girls used their volleyball IQ and played very smart offensively, hitting their holes and targeting areas on the court that provided the best opportunities to score points. The team was determined and they showed what they are capable of. Bringing home a third place finish, I am a very proud coach and can't wait for what they do next!”

Stats v Anselmo-Merna:

Grace Bierman- 15 Digs Riata Remund- 20 Digs Maggie Birkel- 1 Ace Serve, 1 Assist, 20 Digs Delaney Rogers- 5 Kills, 3 Ace Blocks, 2 Assists, 6 Digs Bryn Schwarz- 3 Ace Serves, 10 Kills, 17 Assists, 23 Digs Charli Vickers- 3 Ace Serves, 11 Kills, 3 Ace Blocks, 1 Assist, 34 Digs Delaynie Laible- 1 Ace Serve, 2 Kills, 1 Ace Block, 4 Assists, 31 Digs Josie Reiff- 3 Ace Serves, 1 Assist, 42 Digs The Lady Bobcats were back in action against Ainsworth in Arnold on Tuesday for a PINK OUT and Senior Night for their last regular game of the season. Results of that game were not available at press time. Subdistricts begin next week.

“We have work to do and we aren't finished yet!!,” said Coach Guthrie. “Let's Go South Loup Bobcats!”