By Milla Butler
Taking on their first regular season opponent, the McCool Junction Mustangs, the Silver Lake Mustang volleyball team was eager to obtain a winning record to start the season. Silver Lake came out ready to play, taking down McCool Junction in only three sets. The first two sets had big gaps, ending 25-8 and 25-9. The Mustangs showed up strong again in the third set, putting an end to the match with a final score of 25-14. There were multiple team leaders in both offense and defense, the Mustangs showing their skills on both sides of the game. Seniors McKenna Pankoke and Emma Schmidt led the team in offense. Pankoke obtained six kills while Schmidt acquired four serving aces. Defensive leaders include senior Katy Soucek who was the leading blocker on the team, and junior Sophie Schmidt who held down the back row, obtaining eleven digs. Freshman Libby Soucek also stood out, earning eleven assists on her varsity debut. Commenting on the Mustangs’ first win of the season, head coach Shelby Rupprecht comments, “Before the game, we talked about how the girls have worked really hard during the off-season and pre-season, and that now is their opportunity to showcase that. I thought against McCool they did a really nice job of keeping their momentum after a mistake or a lost rally. One thing we talk about working on is our consistency- things like fundamentals, energy, and mental toughness. To prepare for our next game against Heartland-Lutheran, we’re working on different drills throughout practice that require a lot of mental focus and the transfer of fundamentals. I’m really proud of how hard all the girls have worked! I was so impressed with the JV game and how they came back and battled to win the game when they could’ve just given up.” Come support the Mustang volleyball team in their next matches; they will host Blue Hill on Tuesday, September 10th, and Shelton on Thursday, September 12th.