Nevada at South Hamilton: Five Takeaways
On Thursday, Nevada played at South Hamilton in a very competitive four-setter. The host Hawks sought their first win over Nevada since the Cubs joined the Heart of Iowa Conference in 2010. They couldn’t get that first victory, however, as…
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Continue ReadingOn Thursday, Nevada played at South Hamilton in a very competitive four-setter. The host Hawks sought their first win over Nevada since the Cubs joined the Heart of Iowa Conference in 2010. They couldn’t get that first victory, however, as Nevada topped South Hamilton 3-1 (25-18, 13-25, 26-24, 25-14). After the weekend, Nevada now stands at 14-9, while South Hamilton, ranked No. 10 in 2A, is 20-3. Here is what stood out:
“Hard to stop” setter/hitter
Nevada’s Morgan Tupper, a do-it-all junior, impressed on Thursday. She finished with 18 assists, but also added 8 kills and 14 digs. Had it gone to a fifth set, she likely would’ve posted a triple-double. “She’s just a key part of everything. She’s our only six-rotation player. When she’s on, she is hard to stop,” coach Lori Stephenson said.
Tupper distributed the ball exceptionally well to Nevada’s athletic hitters, but she was just as good on defense. On one ball that seemed destined to hit the ground, the 5-foot-8 junior made a one-handed dig to keep a rally alive. She will definitely get plenty of looks from small colleges.
Clutch kill from Kacie
The only player on Nevada with more kills this season than setter/hitter Tupper is fellow junior Kacie Rewerts. The 6-foot-0 hitter, who is getting college looks, was not as potent of a force as she has been, tallying just 7 kills. But she delivered one of the biggest points for the Cubs.
In the third set, Nevada trailed 24-19 after squandering an early 16-9 lead.
South Hamilton had dominated the second set to the tune of a 25-13 victory and seemed well on their way to a home win. But Rewerts came up with a huge kill to give the serve to Tupper, and the Cubs scored a 26-24 victory.
Nevada coach Lori Stephenson was very pleased with her timely hit.
“She delivered,” she said.
Here’s Nevada’s Kacie Rewerts with a kill to start the 7-0 run. pic.twitter.com/CaDUqw86MS
— Hayes Gardner (@HayesGardner) September 21, 2018
Other athletic hitters
The Cubs were led offensively by Kacie Rewerts’s older sister, senior Kelby Rewerts, who notched 9 kills on .258 hitting.
“Kelby swung so hard tonight on the outside,” Stephenson said.
Sophomores Hannah Thomsen and Sydney Mosinski were also key, adding 8 and 5 kills, respectively. Mosinski, 5-foot-10 and long, did a good job hitting the ball at its peak. She also notched the match-winning kill.
FINAL: Nevada 3, South Hamilton 1. Nevada wins the fourth set 25-14. The Cubs improve to 10-8, while Soith Hamilton falls to 20-3. Here’s the match-winning, creative kill from Sydney Mosinski. pic.twitter.com/hl0vDwTi61
— Hayes Gardner (@HayesGardner) September 21, 2018
Hard-serving DS
Nevada’s entire back row played well, which included senior Madison Stevens. She led the team with 17 digs and did a good job passing the ball. She also impressed serving the ball. She notched just one ace, but served the ball hard, making it tough for South Hamilton to return. She served a couple of Nevada rallies and ended up serving more than any other Cub.
This season, she has accumulated 18 aces, second-most on the team behind Tupper.
Stephenson praised her entire back row, specifically Stevens and sophomores Ellie Gray and Jaeden Heintz, for their ability to dig and to accurately pass free balls to the setter.
Energetic Hawks ranked for first time this year
South Hamilton moved into the rankings as the No. 10 team in 2A last week, and promptly lost just their third match of the year. But in the loss, the Hawks still brought fire and scrap: On one key rally in the third set, Nevada ostensibly had a kill, but three Hawks dove to the floor to send the ball over and eventually win the point. The ball never got more than two feet off the ground until it was finally sent over.
In addition to their hustle, a lot of South Hamilton’s success this year can be attributed to setter Taylor Volkmann. The senior posted her 1,000 assist this month.
5-foot-4 Junior Hailey Cavan once again had an outstanding match. A true libero, she plays outside hitter for the Hawks and racked up 18 kills, 25 digs and 2 aces for the Hawks — all team-highs.