Rib Lake encouraged by fifth-place finish at Marathon Invite
RIB LAKE VOLLEYBALL
Early-season progress was made Saturday by the Rib Lake volleyball team, who won three of five matches and finished fifth in the eight-team Marathon Invitational.
Rib Lake went 1-2 in pool play and fell just short of reaching the championship bracket. But on the consolation side of things, they left on a high note, beating Spencer and Thorp to improve to 4-4 overall after their first two tournaments of the fall.
“We had a great day in Marathon,” Rib Lake head coach Heather Weik said. “We decided that we wanted to play a lot more volleyball by taking some teams to three games instead of winning in two. With the hot temperature in the gym and playing back-to-back games, the girls showed hustle, enthusiasm and perseverance the entire day. Confidence continued to build as well when the wins came our way.”
Weik said Rib Lake’s best performance may have actually come in its opening loss to Stratford. The Tigers won that match 25-20, 25-23.
“Had we not missed five serves in the second set, I feel we could have taken them to the third set,” Weik said.
Northland Lutheran was next and gave the Lady Redmen a battle. Rib Lake bounced back from a 25-21 loss in the first set with 25-15, 15-13 wins to take the match. Pool champion and the eventual tournament champion Fall Creek swept Rib Lake 25-9, 25-19.
“Northland Lutheran was a very scrappy team, and we struggled putting the ball down hard,” Weik said. “Fall Creek is just a strong team. Their passing and strong hitters made for short rallies.”
Rib Lake opened bracket play by rallying for a 22-25, 25-22, 15-8 win over Spencer and they clinched their fifthplace finish with a 16-25, 25-22, 15-8 win over Thorp.
“Molly Heiser played every play the whole day as our only setter,” Weik said. “Kyla Kennedy as libero had a strong day helping us turn her digs into our hits. As middle blockers, Danielle Mann and Josie Scheithauer started moving better as the day went on finding the blocks. Our serve receive improved as well helping us hit against Spencer.”
Fall Creek beat Phillips 2-1 and Marathon 2-0 to win the championship bracket.
For a team trying to forge a winning identity, the ability to come back and take three best-of-three matches where they lost the first game could be a major building block for the remainder of the season.
“I truly feel by keeping positive, the girls were able to pull off those third wins,” Weik said. “They held each other accountable and played so well together as a team. They made great adjustments on the fly and communicated well. The girls learned to battle back from the initial loss, make some adjustments in defense, and then come back with two wins.”
Rib Lake will see Spencer again tonight, Thursday, on the Rockets’ home court for a non-conference match that starts at 7:15 p.m. The Lady Redmen will make their annual trip to the Greenwood Quad on Tuesday with the first matches set for 5 p.m. Thorp and Tri-County are also scheduled to be there. Rib Lake hosts Edgar in non-conference play for its home opener on Sept. 9.
