Wildcats adjust to environs in 3-0 sweep of N-K
By Kristi Nixon
RICEVILLE — Due to the sweltering heat, the Riceville volleyball team opened its season at the Riceville Activity Center instead of the high school gym due to the fact it had air conditioning on Tuesday, Aug. 22.
After a slow start, the Wildcats pounced on Northwood-Kensett in this non-conference match, which also celebrated Parents Night in a 3-0 sweep of the Vikings.
“A lot of it was we have new players out there,” head coach Missy McElroy said. “Adjusting . . . we had a couple of scrimmages, which is nice, and we had the first-game nerves at the same time, we were a little out of sync because we were in the RAC and not the gym. But, we came together and pulled it through.
“I just told them, ‘Just play the game of volleyball,’ and it doesn’t matter where we are located, just play the game of volleyball.”
Fans were scattered around the net in folding chairs in the RAC, including the Riceville student section making its presence known on the end of the court in the 25-18, 25-13, 25-21 victory to begin the season 1-0.
“The girls did a great job,” coach McElroy said. “They work really well together, so once they built their confidence, got their cobwebs out and the nerves, then they came out and made it happen. They did a great job.”
Both teams struggled with serving in the match, combining for 25 service errors, 12 for the Wildcats, particularly early, with N-K leading by as much as 12-6 in the opening set. The Vikings’ last lead in the opener was 15-14 on a Riceville serve sailing out of bounds. However, N-K answered with another serve that went out to tie it.
“That’s one thing I did tell my assistant coaches: ‘I think we’re going to have to do something different with serving,’” coach McElroy said. “Definitely get our serving percentages in the high 80s like we were last year. That could have been the dynamic of the whole gym.”
After that, freshman Fenn Fair, who was one of the exceptions to the serving woes at 13-for-14 with a pair of aces, served up one of the two as the Wildcats went up for good. Tillotti Fair, who was 9-of-9 with a couple aces, also led the way with seven kills.
F. Fair also had a service run of seven straight in the second that put that game out of reach with Samantha Wilberding putting up back-to-back solo stuff blocks out of her three in the match.
“It was good,” F. Fair said. “It was a little nerve-wracking as a freshman, but I just got up there and had confidence and put them over. I was happy.”
The full story and more photos will be found in the Aug. 30 print and e-edition of the Enterprise Journal.
