Greyhounds unable to keep momentum against Mavericks
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NEW ULM -- New Ulm Cathedral had some strong moments but ultimately couldn't avoid a 25-9, 25-20, 25-14 sweep from Martin County West Tuesday in a nonconference volleyball match.
The Greyhounds found some rhythm in the second and third sets, including a 8-1 run to cut the lead from 23-12 to 24-20 in the second set, but couldn't sustain the success.
Cathedral head coach Becky Wilfahrt is looking for her team to convert stretches like those into full-match performances.
"Just staying aggressive and staying composed," she said. "Not being afraid to make errors. They start to get tentative, and when they get tense and tentative, they start to make a lot more errors. There's way too many unforced errors. If we can keep the ball on our side of the net and keep that momentum in those stretches that we've had, it will make a huge difference."
Jayde Altermatt and Maddy Hazuka each had five kills in the match, with Altermatt recording 12 digs and Hazuka adding five digs. Ashlyn Hillesheim had six set assists and nine digs, and Isabelle Sprenger had nine digs and a block.
MCW jumped out to a 8-2 lead in the first set and continued to build to a 14-4 advantage. A kill by Hauzka and two aces by Morgan Beranek helped Cathedral cut the lead to 14-8, but the Mavericks finished out the set with a 11-1 run to win.
The Greyhounds stayed close early in Set 2, holding the game at a 5-5 tie, but MCW took a 12-6 lead. The teams traded points for a few serves, then MCW went on a 5-0 run to go up 23-12. Cathedral responded with 6 unanswered points as part of an 8-1 run, with Hazuka taking two kills and Altermatt earning one, to cut the lead to 24-20. However, Cathedral was unable to complete the comeback as the Mavericks took Set 2.
The momentum stayed with the Greyhounds early in Set 3 as they took a 5-3 lead, with Altermatt taking two kills. MCW stabilized, going on a 8-0 run to go up 11-5. A kill by Hazuka ended the run, and a kill by Altermatt and an ace by Hillesheim kept the Greyhounds within 18-13, but the Mavericks closed out the game with a 5-1 run to earn the sweep.
Cathedral hosts Nicollet on Tuesday.