Wildcats win two despite injuries

With three girls down with sprained ankles, the Custer Wildcats varsity volleyball team had to adjust on the fly to take down the Douglas Patriots and Newell Irrigators last week. 
Jayda Bennett and Rylan Lowe sprained their ankles the previous week. Head coach Shayna Young said, “They were able to play this week, but they were still pretty tender and sore.” 
The Wildcats started with a hard-fought match at Douglas High School against the Patriots Sept. 1, winning in five sets at 11-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-23 and 15-9. 
“Our girls were definitely a little sleepy when they came out, and I think the first match showed that, but they definitely found some grit and were able to battle back,” said Young. “That fifth set really showed the level that they can play at if they focus on what they are doing and really come together as a team.” 
Young attributed the team’s success in that game to a strong back row. 
“Our back row was phenomenal that game. Our serve-receive passes were going right to Rylan almost every time, which helped with her movement and not having to move as much with her sore ankle,” said Young. 
In terms of digs from the back, Geneveive Poper and Bennett had 27, Lowe and Maddy Noble had 16 and Molly Frederick-Medlen had 12. 
“Our back row is really what kept us in that game,” said Young. 
Lowe also had 33 assists. For kills, Bennett had 13, Karmyn Ellerton had eight, Madilyn Baker had six and Riley Messer and Frederick-Medlen each had five. 
The night before the Sept. 3 game against the Newell Irrigators in the Custer Armory, Young said they learned that Ellerton had also sprained her ankle and would not be able to play. 
“I expected us to come out a little stronger, being on our home court. I think we were still just adjusting. It was different for them because Karmyn Ellerton was out that game,” said Young. “I do think overall there were some very good moments that showed the potential they have. It’s just a matter of playing that level all the time.”
Custer won the first set 25-20.
In the second set, the ’Cats and Irrigators battled for control of the court as Newell took an early lead. Custer fought back, creating a tied game for a time before breaking away and taking a solid 25-17 victory. 
“I always tell them in the huddle, ‘You have to make the choice now. You don’t have any more time to give.’ We talked about how we just dug this hole. We’re down by X number of points. So now we have to, one, battle back to get tied, and two, find that momentum and create more to finish the game on top,” said Young. “And I think the girls were a little caught off guard by what Newell was bringing and how scrappy they were.” 
Three Custer sophomores entered toward the end of the third set. Sienna Musumeci, the junior varsity team’s libero, came in to cover the outside, Emarsyn Jaure came in as a setter to cover for Lowe and Myah Keller jumped in with two kills in the front row. The game ended 3-0 for Custer, with the third set going 25-10. 
Lowe had 100 percent serving accuracy, and Noble had 90 percent. Poper had 17 digs. For kills, Bennett had 11, Baker had 10 and Messer had nine. 
“Just being able to spread the ball out and Rylan being able to set to anyone really helps spread our offense out and create opportunities for us,” said Young. 
Lowe had 33 more assists in the game against Newell, closing the gap toward reaching 1,000 career assists.
“We’re hoping we can help Rylan get to that big goal this year,” said Young. 
The Wildcats faced the Sturgis Brown Scoopers at the Custer Armory Tuesday, Sept. 8. Results were not available at publication. 
From there, the ’Cats head to Hot Springs to face the Bison Thursday, Sept. 10. Young thinks the Wildcats are ready to face the Bison again, but there are a few things she would like to see improve by then. 
“I’d like to see our front row become a little more consistent, both offensively and defensively,” said Young. “Our blocking hasn’t been super consistent yet this season, so I’d like to see more of that just to help at least slow down the ball and give our defense a chance.”
After that, the Wildcats are competing in the West River Tourney at The Monument in Rapid City Friday, Sept. 11 and Saturday, Sept. 12. Young said they are facing Todd County, Douglas and Brookings Friday, and Saturday matches will depend on placement. More details will be announced on Facebook. 
Then, Tuesday, Sept. 15, the Wildcats will face the St. Thomas More Cavaliers. Young said the Wildcats will need to stay focused on doing their jobs and controlling the ball when it is in their possession to achieve success. 
“We have a busy and very challenging week coming up. These will be some of the tougher teams we see. So we’re excited for a competitive week, and hopefully we can all stay healthy,” said Young.