Unforced errors undermine New Richmond volleyball effort

• Maggie Dalton and Caelin Giese

New Richmond's Maggie Dalton and Caelin Giese (12) go up for a block attempt against Somerset.

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Unforced errors shot down any chance the New Richmond volleyball team had against two of the top teams in the Middle Border Conference last week.

The Tigers lost in four games in their matches against Prescott last Tuesday and Somerset last Thursday.

The performances by the Tigers in both matches were quite similar. The Tigers were tentative in the first two games, resulting in one-sided losses. They then performed much better in winning the third game, only to see their play backslide in losing the fourth game.

In Tuesday’s loss to Prescott, the Tigers had an opponent that was ripe for an upset. This was Prescott’s first match after they’d lost their top player, Mary Kate Pryor, to an ankle injury. Still, the Cards were able to score a 25-13, 25-21, 19-25, 25-15 win.

After losing the first two games, Tiger coach Bob Fisher decided to stir up the lineup. He inserted freshman Maddie Krumm at setter. She had five assists and a long service run in the third game win.

Fisher said the only statistical highlight of the match was the six blocks recorded by senior Brooke Ver Bunker. The Tigers managed just 19 kills in the four games.

On Thursday Somerset beat the Tigers 25-17, 25-8, 19-25, 25-7. The highlight of the third game win was the serving of junior Britney Ellspermann. Ellspermann went on a long service run early in the game that built a substantial lead and gave the Tigers some needed confidence. When Somerset began to narrow the gap late in the game, Ellspermann reeled off several more serves that put the win away.

The confidence evaporated as soon as the fourth game started. Somerset built up a 10-1 lead and the Tigers never recovered.

Fisher said he’s waiting to see the Tigers put together a consistent effort through an entire match, with no letdowns.

“We were our own worst enemy the whole week,” he said of last week’s losses. “Prescott didn’t push us, we beat ourselves.”

The Tigers will try to record their first MBC win of the season this Thursday when they host Amery. The Tigers will also be in action on Saturday, hosting their first Tiger Invitational. Action will begin at 9 a.m. Teams joining the Tigers in the tournament include Baldwin-Woodville, Clayton, Chippewa Falls, Northwestern, Grantsburg and Altoona.

Tags: sports, tigers, volleyball, prep