LW ends season with close match

The LaCrosse-Washtucna Lady Tigercats showed their grit and determination to continue the volleyball season, but their efforts fell just short in the first round district game against Garfield-Palouse on Monday. The Lady Tigercats pushed the match into five sets, finally falling to Gar-Pal with scores of 25-23, 22-25, 18-25, 25-21 and 12-15, and ending the Lady Tigercats’ season.

Head coach Sarah Mayer said the match displayed the drastic improvements the team and individuals have made over the course of the season. Mayer also said the girls played with extreme heart, and while the loss to end the season was hard to face, the team left it all on the court.

“I wish that everybody could’ve experienced that last match for themselves,” Mayer said. “They honestly did everything right, it was a great match and they worked really hard. They just improved so much and they just showed so much heart.”

Mayer said the girls started out strong, winning the first set and helping the Lady Tigercats gain momentum for the remainder of the match. The team remained a powerhouse at the serving stripe, as every LW athlete served 91 percent or better during the night.

“In the fourth set, we were down a good six points, the girls came back with their serves,” Mayer explained. “Their serves were very crucial last night: they were essential.”

In the make-or-break situation, Mayer said the girls hustled on every play and rarely let the ball drop. She was impressed by the team’s overall effort and determination, especially in the fourth set when Gar-Pal had won the previous two sets and only needed one more to win.

“It was a night and day difference,” Mayer said. “Their skills and their talents totally met with their hard work.”

Mayer said that while the team played consistent, solid volleyball, the moments of weakness in the match came on serve receive. She explained after calling time outs, the LW team found their center and rallied back to be competitive against Gar-Pal.

The loss to Gar-Pal knocked the Lady Tigercats out of the district tournament, but Mayer said the overall effort and competitive match showed the improvements of the team throughout the season. Mayer said it was neat to see the Lady Tigercats’ determination in the Monday night match because it was evident the team did not want the season to end yet.

Brooklynn Hostetler proved to be a force on the court Monday when she racked up four aces, eight kills and 15 digs. Gail Harder added another eight kills to the Lady Tigercats’ statistics, while Britte Harder dominated at the net, earning four blocks. Nicole Harder led the team from the setter’s position with 13 assists.

Reflecting back on the season, Mayer is satisfied with the team’s drastic improvement, and explained the win-loss column does not measure the success of the season. The team is losing two seniors, Lindsey Miller and Kadie Whinery, and Mayer explained as the captains of the team, their leadership and expertise will be missed.

“Lindsey is extremely positive and kind, she really led us as a setter,” Mayer said. “She worked her tail off. She doled out her sets appropriately and fairly so she could support her team.”

“Kadie too is a leader, she is a little comedian,” Mayer said. “She has a little bit of spice to her, no judgments and one of the most strong willed people on the team. She had amazing serves and was strong at the net.”

Overall, Mayer believes the team has an opportunity to be competitive next year as a lot of younger athletes gained varsity experience this season.

For Mayer, the one athlete who showed the most individual growth this season is freshman middle, Britte Harder.

“Britte started the season a little big timid but continuously improved on her timing,” Mayer explained about Britte as the single blocker for the LW squad. “Gar-Pal ran a lot of quick’s on us. She blocked, she played the net, and if they returned her block, she was able to come back up with her fist and bump it over. Her timing was on … Britte is very intentional and quietly competitive.”

As a coach, Mayer said the highlight of the season was winning the second match against Gar-Pal during league play. The Lady Tigercats earned the win in five sets and it marked the first time in Mayer’s coaching career that the LW team had defeated Gar-Pal.

“I’m really proud of the girls and we had a good season,” Mayer said.