New Richmond volleyball team ends season on positive note

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Unless you are a state champion, every high school volleyball team ends their season with a loss.

That the New Richmond volleyball team ended the season with an upbeat performance can give the Tigers a more palatable view as they try to put this season in their rear view mirrors.

The Tigers, who were seeded sixth, lost to third seed Hayward in the opening round of WIAA Division 2 regional tournament play last Tuesday.

In the opening game the Tigers struggled badly, losing 25-11.

Early in the second game, the Tigers began rolling. They put together two full games, losing 25-20 and 25-22.

Tiger coach Bob Fisher said the intensity the team showed in those final two games is something the team can be proud about. The Tigers trailed early in the second game, then surged back to tie the score at 20-20. Hayward then got the final five points for the win.

The third game was a point-for-point battle. Trailing by two games, Fisher said he was impressed with how the Tigers fought bitterly to get the third game.

“They showed a lot of spunk. They could have rolled over and died and they didn’t,” Fisher said.

Fisher said he saw growth from the team this season, but he knew this would be a season of growing pains for the Tigers. Half of the varsity roster was made up of freshmen and sophomores.

“It was a baptism of fire,” Fisher said of playing the younger girls, several who had never played above junior high or C team ball before this season. “This is the year we sacrificed experience, but we have the ability to justify the move.”

Fisher said he is a proponent of girls playing other sports beyond volleyball, but he also wants to see them get involved in the game next summer. He is hopeful a club volleyball program can be started in New Richmond, so the girls will be able to play in the off-season and not have to leave town to do it

Tags: sports, tigers, volleyball, prep