Middle School Volleyball wraps up for the Lady Huskies

In the beginning of the season, the middle school Lady Huskies had four goals in mind: Build Team Unity, Be Mentally Strong, have a Winning Season and Serve a Perfect Set. “Throughout the season we were able to tackle our goals,” said Coach Lisa Winters. “Our A team managed 100% serving during one of our sets against Basin, which was amazing to see. Every day in practice we pushed the girls to be mentally strong and not let the mind limit the team. Our winning season was not only defined by trying to win each game, but also making sure we had more pass, set, hits than the other teams and continual improvement each game.”

The athletes worked throughout the summer to improve skills and be ready for the season. “I was impressed by their dedication to do the extra on their own time. When the season started, we were well prepared.” 

All of the off-season work and work during the season, led the A team to head into the tournament with a first-place ranking and a 13-0 record. “We also had the privilege of playing Lovell and Cody during the regular season, which provided some good competition for us. I was proud of how the girls rose to the occasion to play these bigger schools.” 

The Lady Huskies had a bye for the first round and then beat Thermopolis in two sets to move on to the Championship game against Greybull. “We had beat Greybull previously, but it had always been a hard-fought battle. Greybull has a lot of girls dedicated to improvement that have worked hard during the summers and seasons and their practice shows. Our A team ultimately came up short in the championship game, losing in 2 sets to Greybull. I was proud of all our athletes. They kept playing clear until the end of the game. They showed a lot of grit and improved all season long. 

We will miss our 8th graders next year. Tilly Neves puts in extra effort to improve all the time. Her skills as a setter have not just come by luck, she has put in a lot of work to be the great setter she is. I could always count on her to get to the second ball, wherever the pass went and to make it playable for a hitter to hit. Ella Mayorga is a great all around player. She had a bad injury to her elbow last year but hasn’t let it slow her down at all. I could count on her in many areas, but mostly with her serve. She was very consistent throughout the season and could aim to the holes on the other side of the court. Brooklyn O’Barr had to change positions for our team this year and did so with a great attitude. She played that middle hitter spot well, even though she hadn’t had a ton of experience there. She was also a fabulous passer in the back row; I could always count on her during serve receive. 

Heidi Broederlow did a great job of setting when Tilly got the dig. Her serve improved a lot throughout the year, and her serves helped us beat Thermopolis in the tournament. Madison Davidson stays calm and positive under pressure. During the first half of our season, she was often the server that closed out the game, she was very consistent. Madison also did a great job of passing. She worked on her hitting all year and was one of our most consistent hitters. Katie Gotfredson has really good court awareness. She worked hard throughout the season to aim her hits and serve to holes on the other side of the court. I could count on her to make a big play when we needed it. Raeli Rasmussen worked hard this year to improve her setting skills and was a great sub to have on that right side. She also worked hard to learn every position’s rotation so that she would be able to sub for any player. She led the team in positivity and always offered encouraging words during timeouts. Victoria Kebler is a great passer. I could sub her for anyone in the back row and knew that she would do a great job. She also worked hard on her serve throughout the season and showed big improvements. 

While all these girls had great volleyball skills, even more important was their attitude and how they came together to support each other and put the team above themselves. It was a very positive year and I’m so proud of all that we accomplished,” said Winters.