’Cats put some wins back on the board

Coming back for another week of Wildcat volleyball, the Custer Jr./Sr. High School team took on some challenging teams and got some more wins on the board. 
Starting off with a game against the Spearfish Spartans at the Custer Armory Sept. 24, the Wildcats fell shy of 25 in the first set, going 25-20. Down a set, the ’Cats came back for a solid second set, winning 25-22 over the Spartans. 
“Overall, I was really impressed with how the girls competed against Spearfish. They always bring a strong team, and I thought our girls battled hard, especially in the first two sets, where we were able to take a set from them. I was proud of how well we adjusted to the different things Spearfish was throwing at us and made adjustments throughout the match,” said head coach Shayna Young. 
Nevertheless, the Spartans took home the win, finishing the final sets 25-7 and 25-15. 
“As we got into the final two sets, I think we started to run out of steam and just weren’t quite able to keep up with their pace. Overall, though, I was proud of the fight and adjustments I saw from our girls,” said Young. 
Rylan Lowe was the team’s best server with 92 percent accuracy and had 20 assists. Jayda Bennett had 10 kills and 14 digs, and Maddy Noble and Genevieve Poper each had eight digs.
From there, the girls competed in the Belle Fourche Tourney Sept. 26. The girls went 2-2 over the weekend, starting with a match against the Lakota Tech Tatanka. Lakota Tech took the match 25-21 and 25-12.
“Even though the score wasn’t in our favor against Lakota Tech, I thought our girls played very well and battled hard throughout the match,” said assistant coach Becky Lowe. 
After that, the Wildcats defeated the Bowman County (N.D.) Bulldogs in two sets 25-21 and 25-16, before taking down the New Underwood Tigers in three. The Wildcats won the first and third sets 25-23 and 25-16, while the Tigers won the second set 25-19.
“One highlight from our first game against New Underwood was putting our JV libero in as an outside hitter, and she came through with the game-winning kill, which brought a lot of energy and excitement to the team,” said Lowe. 
The Wildcats faced the Tigers again in bracket play. This time Custer won the first set 25-18, and New Underwood won the next two sets 27-25 and 25-18.
“Overall, I was really happy with how the girls took the things we have been working on in practice and carried them over into game situations. Seeing that growth and execution is something we can continue to build on moving forward,” said Lowe. 
The girls also faced the Belle Fourche Broncs for an away game Tuesday, Sept. 29. Results were not available upon publication. 
Next up, the Wildcats are competing in the Lakota Nation Invitational (LNI) at The Monument Summit Arena Oct. 2-3.
“Our goals for LNI this weekend are to stay together as a team and focus on playing at the level we know we are capable of, regardless of who we are facing. We want to have a strong showing in every match and, win or lose, be proud of the effort, teamwork and determination we put on the court. We want to leave each match knowing we gave it our best and continued to grow as a team,” said Young. 
From there, the Wildcats will face the Hot Springs Bison once again at the Custer Armory Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. 
“We are using the practices we have between now and Oct. 6 to prepare as much as possible for Hot Springs. We always enjoy competing against them, and we are looking forward to having them in our gym and getting the opportunity to compete in front of our home crowd,” said Young.