The MHS volleyball team notched a pair more victories last week, sweeping Eau Claire North on Tuesday and Wis. Rapids on Thursday.
The Bluejays made short work of Valley basement dweller Rapids on Sally Pfund Night, taking 25-13, 25-13, 25-12 sets.
“We started off slow,” Merrill coach Kris Albrecht said. “They were ahead of us the first game.
“They’ve been struggling the last few years. Offensively, we had a chance to work a few other girls in there.
“I think as a team we just aren’t playing as well as we can be playing. We’re winning matches, but we’re not playing to our potential. We’re striving to be better. As we roll into the last half-season, we’ve got to be a better all-around team. We’ve got a big 10 days coming up with four conference matches. Hopefully, we can pull it all together.”
Some parts of the Jays’ games are looking up.
“We’re serving better,” Albrecht said. “At the beginning of the season we were more concerned about getting the ball in but now we’re serving for points. My seniors-Lauren (Hojan), Reegan (Byer), Katie (Zuelsdorff) and Renee (Sladek)-are serving the best.
“The passing is done by the underclassmen and they’re becoming more confident. Communication is still a factor. We need to communicate better and leadership can’t falter. We bank so much on our offense, we need to improve our defensive skills.”
Sally Pfund was Merrill’s head coach who passed unexpectedly in 2009, and several raffles were held that night to raise money for the Pfund Fund.
“(Daughter) Sarah did a good job of explaining where we are at with the scholarship,” Albrecht said. “It was a success because now we are at our quota to offer a scholarship. Sarah has put her heart and soul