St. Croix Central volleyball team still getting to know each other on court

• Alyssa Melby

St. Croix Central senior Alyssa Melby delivers a serve during last week's match at Ellsworth.

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The process of getting to know each other on the volleyball court continues for the St. Croix Central volleyball team.

The Panthers have girls on the varsity who played at four different levels last year, ranging from junior high to the varsity. The melding of their skills is an on-going process. That was evident when the Panthers lost in three games in a match at Ellsworth last Thursday.

The Panthers lost by scores of 25-13, 25-17, 25-10.

Central coach Kerrie Been said she is trying girls in numerous lineup combinations, trying to find the rotation that will work best for the Panthers when they begin their Dunn-St. Croix Conference schedule next week. The Panthers play at home Thursday in a non-conference match against Somerset. The Panthers will then begin conference play next Tuesday with a home match against Elk Mound.

Against Ellsworth, Been had leftside hitters Jessa Klinger and Kinzi McNamara play all-around, so that they could get into a better rhythm in the match. Klinger led the Panthers with three kills in the match.

Been said the blocking of middle hitters Alyssa Melby and Madison Malecek was much improved in this game. She credited setter Laura DeSmith for knowing her hitters well and getting the ball to the hitters who had the hot hand. The Panthers served well in this match, with Kalli Armagost and DeSmith each scoring two ace serves.

One flaw that has curtailed the Panthers’ success is their streakiness. The slumps often come at the beginning or ends of games. The Panthers have been in a good position late in games, only to be overtaken by their opponent. The early slumps in games leave the Panthers too large of a deficit to overcome once they get the serve back.

Tags: sports, panthers, volleyball, prep