By Leah Bartels
On Saturday, October 18, the Lady Mustangs traveled to Franklin to compete in the Twin Valley Conference Volleyball Tournament. Having already faced each of their opponents earlier in the season, Silver Lake entered the tournament with a clear understanding of what to expect.
The Mustangs opened the day against the Giltner Hornets, a team they had previously defeated. Silver Lake started strong, sweeping the Hornets in two competitive sets, 25–20 and 25–23. Senior MaKenna Karr led the offense with eight kills, while senior Kerra Hofstetter added four. Sophomore Brooklyn Himmelberg helped the team gain momentum from the service line, recording three aces. On defense, senior Sophie Schmidt held down the back row with an impressive 32 digs across just two sets.
The win advanced the Mustangs into a matchup against the top-seeded Shelton Bulldogs later in the day. The opening set was a battle, with both teams trading points before Shelton edged out the Mustangs, 25–22. MaKenna Karr once again led the offense with six kills, while classmate Kamille Karr contributed four. Schmidt continued her strong defensive performance with 19 digs, and Hofstetter dished out a team-high nine assists. The hard-fought loss sent the Mustangs into Monday’s consolation match to play for third place against Deshler, a rematch of last year’s conference showdown.
Silver Lake had faced Deshler just a week earlier, earning a victory, but this time the Dragons were ready for a fight. The match proved to be a back-and-forth battle. The Mustangs came out strong, taking the first set 25–22. Deshler responded by claiming the next two sets, 25–20 and 25–13. Refusing to back down, Silver Lake battled through a thrilling fourth set to win 27–25 and force a decisive fifth. In the final set, Deshler’s offense surged, securing the third-place title with a 15–6 victory.
Despite the loss, the Mustangs showcased grit and teamwork throughout the tournament. Schmidt finished the night with 48 service receptions and 35 digs. Setters Libby Soucek and Hofstetter distributed the ball effectively, tallying 19 and 16 assists, respectively. MaKenna Karr remained dominant at the net with 21 kills, while Soucek recorded an impressive triple-double with 11 kills, 11 digs, and 19 assists.