PREP VOLLEYBALL: Reedsburg rides defense, energy to sweep over Tomah in regional semifinal

Reedsburg junior Macie Wieman goes for a kill against Tomah’s Lauren Noth and Abby Nick (3) during Thursday night’s WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal at Reedsburg Area High School.

Reedsburg senior Delaney Horkan tries to slip a tip kill between Tomah’s Abby Nick, left, and Ella Plueger during Thursday night’s WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal at Reedsburg Area High School.

Reedsburg senior Hanna Olson digs out a ball as senior Delaney Horkan (1) looks on during Thursday night’s WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal against Tomah at Reedsburg Area High School.

Reedsburg senior Grace Harsch rises to try and block a kill from Tomah’s Abby Nick during Thursday night’s WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal at Reedsburg Area High School.

REEDSBURG — The Reedsburg volleyball team has been working hard to cultivate a “dig or die” mentality throughout the course of the season.

That effort was on full display Thursday night as the second-seeded Beavers shrunk the floor and rolled to a 25-17, 25-15, 25-17 sweep over No. 3 Tomah in a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal. Junior Macie Weiman tallied 11 kills and senior Delaney Horkan chipped in nine as the Beavers bested the Timberwolves for a second-straight postseason to reach Saturday’s regional final against top-seeded Onalaska.

“It’s a great win by all means, but one thing we talked about was our energy level, and I thought it was extremely good tonight. I think when we have that energy level going, we move better on the court,” Reedsburg coach Sheila Green said.

“We’ve been working a lot on playing with a ‘dig or die’ mentality, and I think we saw that out there (tonight); never give up on a ball and I think the girls did a good job with that.”

Reedsburg (9-4) made life difficult for Tomah and its bevy of tall hitters, as the Beavers’ frontline block worked in concert with the team’s back row. The Beavers minimized the T-Wolves’ hitting lanes and got plenty of touches, despite registering zero blocks, to make things easier on the backline.

“It’s really helpful when they’re getting touches because then we don’t have to cover as much; we still have to cover a lot but it’s just easier for us,” Reedsburg senior Hanna Olson said.

“It really takes every one of us going 100% and we really tried to do that tonight,” senior Delaney Horkan added.

Not to be outdone, the Beavers’ attack helped tilt the court as well, as they didn’t allow Tomah (6-8) to string more than three points together all night long. Meanwhile, Reedsburg used momentum-shifting runs in all three sets to take the howl out of the T-Wolves.

The two teams battled early on in the opening set as Reedsburg started on a 8-3 run. A short 5-2 spurt by Tomah, including two kills by senior Dannika Koput, cut the deficit within 10-8. The Beavers bit back with a 7-2 run to build a 17-10 lead, including three Horkan kills, and never looked back en route to the 25-17 win.

The second set was a near carbon copy of the first as the Beavers again built a comfortable 10-4 lead before Tomah pulled within 11-8. The T-Wolves kept hanging around, ultimately inching within 15-13 but that was as close as they got.

Reedsburg responded with a set-closing 10-2 run, including back-to-back Wieman kills to finish things off. The Beavers had multiple long rallies in both sets, including a point off two acrobatic saves in the second, which helped to build up the energy while remaining collected.

“We’ve been down in a number of situations throughout the season, and they just kind of, not always, work their way out,” Green said. “They plug one point at a time, and that’s just one thing where they rally; they just stay composed, get focused on what the next ball will be and they’ve done some good things with that.”

“When we’re getting kills, we’re getting our energy up and it really helps us keep moving,” Horkan added.

With a chance to finish things off in the third, the Beavers trailed 7-6 early on after a Koput kill. Reedsburg never fell behind the rest of the set however as it went on a 9-1 run to seize a 15-8 lead. The T-Wolves fought to keep their season alive, cutting the Beavers lead to 18-15 but 7-2 Beavers run put an end to the rally attempt.

Freshman McKenna Oetzman dealt out 17 assists while junior Mahra Wieman notched 11 assists and 11 digs apiece for the Beavers. Senior Alyssa Whaley, who exited last year’s Div. 1 regional semifinal early with a knee injury, had seven kills to lead Tomah, while senior Ella Plueger had 18 assists and senior Jaylin Rezin tallied 16 digs.

With the win, the Beavers will travel to Onalaska on Saturday in search of their first regional title since 2017. The top-seeded Toppers fended off Baraboo in Thursday’s other semifinal, 25-18, 17-25, 27-25, 25-11. Carrying over the energy from the win over the T-Wolves is the biggest thing on Green’s checklist if the Beavers want to bring home the hardware.

“They’ve certainly got some good things happening out on the court and it’s a matter of turning that around over and over and over again,” she said.

TOMAH (leaders) — Kills: Whaley 7; Assists: Plueger 18; Aces: NA; Digs: Rezin 16; Blocks: Nick 3.

REEDSBURG — Kills: Mac. Wieman 11; Assists: Oetzman 17; Aces: Mac. Wieman 4; Digs: Mah. Wieman 11; Blocks: NA.

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Reedsburg junior Macie Wieman goes for a kill against Tomah’s Lauren Noth and Abby Nick (3) during Thursday night’s WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal at Reedsburg Area High School.

Reedsburg senior Delaney Horkan tries to slip a tip kill between Tomah’s Abby Nick, left, and Ella Plueger during Thursday night’s WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal at Reedsburg Area High School.

Reedsburg senior Hanna Olson digs out a ball as senior Delaney Horkan (1) looks on during Thursday night’s WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal against Tomah at Reedsburg Area High School.

Reedsburg senior Grace Harsch rises to try and block a kill from Tomah’s Abby Nick during Thursday night’s WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal at Reedsburg Area High School.

Source: https://www.wiscnews.com/baraboonewsrepublic/high-school/reedsburg/prep-volleyball-reedsburg-rides-defense-energy-to-sweep-over-tomah-in-regional-semifinal/article_b48be81a-b027-5165-83ca-6b612c0cb08b.html

Tomah, Volleyball, Reedsburg, Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association