By Milla Butler
Battling hard against the Red Cloud Warriors for the first round of sub-districts on Monday, the Mustangs pushed through to the end determined to win. Their hard work paid off, and the Mustangs came out on top, sweeping the Warriors in three sets. Leading the team in offense were senior Georgi tenBensel, acquiring a total of 19 kills, and junior Sydney Bartels, picking up the team with 3 ace serves. As tough as they were on offense, the Mustangs also proved their talent on defense. Showing up in blocking, the majority of the girls on the court contributed at least 1. These tough offenders include seniors Lexi Wengler and Josi Sharp, and tenBensel and Bartels. Defending the back row were seniors Wengler and Brooklyn Meyer, along with junior Morgan Dinkler. Wengler picked up 8 digs, while Meyer and Dinkler contributed 7. With the setters assisting a total of 30 balls, the hitters accomplished 36 kills. As the Mustangs pulled out a win against the Warriors, they traveled to Saint Cecilia to play the Bluehawks the following day.
Determined to keep up with their opponent for the second and final round of sub-districts, the Bluehawks took the first set, with the Mustangs trailing closely behind at a 5 point difference. Though they fought their hardest finishing the rest of the game, the Mustangs, unfortunately, fell short to the Bluehawks. Sets two and three ended with a score of 15-25, with the Mustangs’ hard-fought season coming to an end. Leading the team in offense were seniors Wengler, Meyer with 5 kills, and tenBensel with 11. Altogether, the Mustangs achieved 28 kills. Switching it up on defense, freshman Sophie Schmidt gained 20 digs, while tenBensel picked up 16. Summing up the season, Bartels says, “Overall, I think that we had a good season. We had some low times but we always came back fighting. I think that our team greatly improved from the beginning of the season to the end and I am so proud of our team and how far we have come; I am excited to see what the next season brings.”