The Hatchet volleyball team pulled out a pair of 3-1 triumphs last week, carrying momentum from Tuesday’s home match with Mosinee into Thursday’s road match at Wausau Newman.
Tomahawk topped Mosinee 25-15, 25-17, 18-25, 25-18 to improve to 6-1 in the GNC.
“The night was an example of how solid we can play when we want to and how quickly that can dissolve if we lose focus” THS Jen Pfannerstill said. “The girls did a nice job in the first set of setting the tempo. However, as the night went on, we could almost feel the focus slipping away. Volleyball is a strange game in that momentum is such a huge factor and we just lost that momentum for a while. The girls believed they could win and thought they were the better team, but we made uncharacteristic mistakes and that got the girls worried.
“But they responded to our time out early in the fourth and were able to take control of that set and not allow Mosinee to push us to a fifth. Having to play through situations like that help to build team chemistry and trust in one another because when someone isn’t playing well and they realize that one of their teammates will step up for them a trust develops and that’s really important on the court.
Producing on the court were: Anna Nyberg (18 kills, 3 blocks, 12 digs); Becca Doughty (3 k, 37 assists, 11 d); Hanna Meyer (9 k, 3 aces, 2 bl, 15 d); Alex DuPlayee (12 k, 5 ac, 12 d); Emily Schneider (3 k, 3 ac, 5 bl, 4 d); Hanna Doughty (5 k, 4 bl); Amanda Schneider (9 d); Maddie Garrison (3 d); Hannah Feest (3 d).
Dig Pink
The Hatchets pulled out a 24-26, 25-19, 25-21, 25-18 victory on the 2nd Annual Dig Pink night at Newman.
“The first set was really back and forth and both teams were kind of feeling each other out, learning tendencies and making adjustments,” Pfannerstill said. “Both teams had hitters who were capable of putting the ball away and the defense on both teams was impressive. We had nearly 20 digs a game and the rallies were long and well played. We were able to earn points and not depend on Newman to make mistakes. We moved our feet to the ball and limited our own errors.
“The atmosphere was so loud we needed to work to communicate with one another. We needed to stay focused through in that environment and I thought we did a good job working as a team. Newman played a solid match and it was a great test for us.”
Volleyball wasn’t an afterthought on this special breast cancer awareness night, but it wasn’t the only thought.
“It was an awesome environment,” Pfannerstill said. “Newman’s small gym lent itself well to the crazy fans from both teams and the student sections had a great time.
“Tynan Anderson was voted Tomahawk’s Best Dressed Pink Fan and a special thanks to Chuck’s Sport Shop and Standard Mercantile for donating baskets of merchandise to be raffled off. Proceeds from those raffles will be given to a new local, organization called “Ties That Bind Us” founded by Linda VanStrydonk, Carla Gerstenberger, Julie Winger and Margie Albert. The organization will help women who are diagnosed with breast cancer-financially, emotionally, and with informational resources. We were pleased to play for this organization.”
Offerings came from: Nyberg (27 k, 18 d); B. Doughty (56 as); Meyer (9 k, 3 ac, 2 bl, 15 d); DuPlayee (8 k, 20 d); H. Doughty (9 k 15 bl, 5 d); E. Schneider (5 k, 2 bl, 4 d); A. Schneider (8 d); Garrison (6 d).