Five Set Thriller: Highlights and Prospects From Wisconsin Valley Lutheran vs. Edgar
It was the first round of playoffs and excitement was in the air. The Edgar Wildcats entered the Wolves Den for one of the best battles of the 1st round in Division 4 playoffs. Wisconsin Valley Lutheran (WVL) entered the match as the…
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Continue ReadingIt was the first round of playoffs and excitement was in the air. The Edgar Wildcats entered the Wolves Den for one of the best battles of the 1st round in Division 4 playoffs. Wisconsin Valley Lutheran (WVL) entered the match as the #6 seed with a 20-4 record while Edgar entered as the under”cat”, being the #11 seed and having a 5-14 record. Everything pointed to it being a classic 3- and-done match, but the Wildcats had other plans.
WVL took set 1 25-22 behind the strong serving of Riley Cate(2021 – 5’10 – Middle Blocker). Cate also did a nice job working over the tall Edgar block and was fierce in protecting the net. Another sophomore was making an impact right away but in a different way. Lydia Schult (5’6 – Libero) was so scrappy on defense all match long and kept her team alive with excellent block coverage. WVL has a pretty young team, but there is still senior leadership from individuals like Cassidy Maroszek (5’4 – Setter). Maroszek hustled all over the floor to give her hitters really nice hittable balls. She also presented a threat at the service line and well-timed setter dumps. Most impressive was Maroszek’s defense. She was a disciplined defense first setter that made some really big digs under pressure.
Simeon SchultWVL took set 2 25-20 behind the smart-swinging Simeon Schult(2019 – 5’10 – Outside Hitter). Schultz can paint the endline, find the sideline, or place a smart tip. If that doesn’t work, she can power it through the block. Edgar rallied back to take set 3 25-22.
Their comeback was fueled by Mareike Christianson(2020 – 4’11 – Libero) and her strong serving, mixing it up from low flat serves in the seams to a little higher flat ball that dives in the targeted corners. She was also clutch in serve receive, giving her team the opportunity to terminate out of serve receive. McKenna Schraufnagel (2020 – 5-10 – Middle Blocker) also did a nice job protecting the net, and she took care of the ball tight to the net.
Bailey ImhoffEdgar took set 4 25-16 to push the match into the deciding set! The Wildcats battled in this match with the help of Bailey Imhoff(2020 – 5’7 – Pin Hitter/Setter). Imhoff has an explosive vertical and high reach, paired with a hard swing. She also does a good job setting the block and has a strong jump float that dives short or burns the seams. Another pin that made big plays for Edgar was Daria Hoesly(2019 – 5’8 – Pin Hitter). Hoesly has a high reach and does a nice job working over the block and found the cross court corner. She also had a low flat serve that would drop, and she played strong off blocker defense.
Edgar had the lead for a majority of the 5th set before a late surge by WVL. The Wolves were powered by Sydney Lilienthal(2021 – 5’11 – Outside Hitter). Lilienthal puts up a huge block and is a strong server. When attacking, Lilienthal sees the block and strategically places her attack by hitting high off the blockers’ hands, hitting over the block, and takes a heavy swing down the line. This was a tremendous match for a 1st round regional match. I hope I keep seeing these kind of battles.