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they’ll be stepping into big shoes.”
Senior defensive specialists Pogodzinski and Neveah Treankler and senior outside hitter Reece Nelson will be key parts of the revamped rotation, with Pogodzinski working with Clement to solidify the Falcons’ receiving and Nelson providing some additional firepower at the net. Sophomore Riley Podevels and senior Halie VanLuven will also come in as outside hitters and sophomore Marilyn Hammock and freshman Lauryn Harris will rotate in at the middle hitter position. Sophomore Campbell Brodhagen will also see some time in the Falcons back row defense.
The new look of the team also means that there was a different approach to the beginning of the season for the Falcons.
“The big difference for us is that we went from refining things and trying to tweak them [last year], and now it’s just a new experience for everybody,” Kreeger said. “The biggest learning curve will be just getting used to each other on the court. About half the team played on varsity last year, so they didn’t play a lot of games with the kids filling in, and we have a couple kids who have never played with anyone. So it is a
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new experience for them, the speed of the game, it's a big jump. The way we run our offense, it is very timing based, so it does require a lot more reps together. It’s really hard to just step right into that.”
While there may be some challenges to overcome, especially early in the season as the team continues to build their rapport, Kreeger says they will step up to the challenge.
“One of their biggest strengths is their belief in themselves,” he noted. “I don’t think any of these kids doubt their ability, I don’t think there’s a question that they deserve to be on the court, and I think that’s something that a lot of people do struggle with, but I don’t think this team is going to do that. So that will be a big stepping stone for us early.”
The Falcons have already seen some of that confidence come into play after picking up three wins in their first six contests. In their opening triangular, they defeated Augusta 2-0, with Schindler and Nelson co-leading the team in kills with seven each before falling to Neillsville 2-0. They then traveled to Wisconsin Rapids for a tournament this past Saturday and while they dropped straight sets to Reedsburg and Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln to start the tourney, the Falcons bounced back to defeat Wausau East 2-0 and then defeat Colby 2-1.
In their closest set of the season, Abbotsford just edged out the neighboring Hornets, taking the first set 25-19 before Colby grabbed the second set 27-25. The Falcons regained momentum in the decider, however and won 15-8 to improve to 3-3 on the season. Schindler had 10 kills in the win over the Hornets, but it was from the service line that Abbotsford dominated, racking up 14 aces. Sperl led the team with five, Clement picked up four, Schinlder had three and Brodhagen and Podevels had one apiece.
“We are an extremely young team that is growing so much in each match,” Kreeger said following the tournament. “The difference between our first match on Tuesday and our last versus Colby is night and day. These young ladies are starting to believe in themselves, and we are excited for what's to come.”