Timberwolves Capture CRC Crown: Gain Momentum for Post Season
The Crossroads Conference historically has been a mini-state tournament at the iconic York City Auditorium for many years. Many years the multi-class Conference has produced several State Champions, Runner-Ups and 3rd Place finishes from Classes C-2, D-1 and D-2. The…
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Continue ReadingThe Crossroads Conference historically has been a mini-state tournament at the iconic York City Auditorium for many years. Many years the multi-class Conference has produced several State Champions, Runner-Ups and 3rd Place finishes from Classes C-2, D-1 and D-2. The Conference has grown to 13 teams over the years so the first round on Saturday of the tournament is held at York High School and then the semis and finals are held at the City Auditorium.
This year the #3 seed Exeter played a type of Cinderella story as they knocked off #2 seed and defending champion Cross County and #1 seed BDS. They opened up the tourney on Saturday with a win over #11 Nebraska Lutheran 25-12, 25-10. In the match 5’10” Senior Cameran Jansky had 12 kills and 5’10” Senior Emma Olsen had 21 set assists in the win. 5’0″ Junior Morgan White had 2 aces in the win.
On Monday for the semis against #2 Cross County the Timberwolves served strong with 12 aces for the match. They won in 4 exciting sets with scores of 25-23, 17-25, 25-17, and 27-25. White had 4 aces and Savana Krupicka also had 4. White has a great serve that just takes a nosedive before contact. The Cougars really struggled in serve receive and it allowed the Timberwolves to keep pressure on Cross County the entire match. Jansky had 18 kills in the match. Jansky hits well from all over the floor whether she swings from the middle or pins or back row, she is able to find the open floor.
The Championship was an absolute classic with the Timberwolves capturing the crown in a thrilling 5 set match with the likes of the scores of 21-25, 25-23, 22-25, 26-24 and 15-10. Jansky had 23 kills in the match and 5 blocks to lead her team to the crown. Junior Jozie Kanode had 5 ace serves in the win. Olsen was credited with 41 set assists for the match. Coach Madalynn Fousek had this to say about the Championship. “Our match with BDS was a dog fight. The girls had to fight their way back into almost every set. I was so proud of the way they handled themselves when things weren’t going our way. They just kept clawing their way back into the game and focused on the elements that we could control in the moment. Malorie Staskal and Savana Krupicka, our two sophomores, definitely made their mistakes but continued to give max effort and had a willingness to still want the ball which was awesome to see and something we haven’t always seen this year. In essence, we were able to come out on top because of that fight that each girl gave and their drive to win for each other.”
Coach Fousek also commented that “From the beginning of the season I knew we could do some really great things if we all worked together and if the girls believed in their abilities and the process. We have had some low points this season, but the girls have started to just find their groove as a team. Our younger players are starting to come around for us more and we are not as one-dimensional as we were at the beginning of the season which has been huge. So I think our turning point really has just been us playing together and trusting each other that anyone can get the job done.”
She also had high praise for her seniors Olsen and Jansky. “Emma Olsen and Cameran Jansky have really stepped up as leaders. They started to realize what the team needed from them and that wasn’t just their ability to play volleyball, but to be vocal leaders and build up our younger players’ mindsets and confidence. I would first credit those two for our turning point for stepping up their game not only physically but mentally for this team as well. But I would also like to credit Jozie for stepping up her play in the back row and Malorie and Savana for working really hard in practice to get better for this team.”
The (17-10) Timberwolves confidence is high and the timing is perfect to peak, as the post season begins. They are the favorites to win their sub-districts as the #1 seed and they open up with #4 seed (1-19) Friend. When I visited with her she commented that, “Our confidence right now is really high. We won some tough matches this past week. That has helped this team understand that we can go out and win a close match. We weren’t necessarily doing that all the time earlier in the season. Having that confidence going into sub-districts is great and will help the girls stay focused on our goals this year.”