By Milla Butler
Prepared to compete in their first game of the Twin Valley Conference tournament, the Mustangs first took on the Lawrence-Nelson Raiders. The team was hoping to get a win and advance in the tournament after having lost to the Raiders previously this season. The Mustangs’ hopeful mindset turned out to be an advantage for them; they swept the Raiders in the first set, defeating them 25-16. The second set was a turning point in the evenly-matched game. The Raiders went into the second set with more power and leveled out the set score; the Mustangs were defeated 13-25. After the second set’s setback, the Mustangs needed a boost to get them back in the game. Speaking on the team’s third-set comeback, head coach Shelby Rupprecht says, “We worked to get the momentum back on our side of the court, and that was the difference maker. We are constantly talking about the need for energy and momentum.” This got the Mustangs back to where they needed to be, and the third set ended in their favor. Winning the match with an ace block by junior Makenna Karr, the score ended 25-20. The Raiders were defeated in three sets. Offensive leaders for the Mustangs include Karr and senior Katy Soucek, earning eight and nine kills, respectively. Soucek also had major contributions in serving, acquiring five ace serves for the team. Her sister trailed right behind her, freshman Libby Soucek gathering four aces of her own. Junior libero Sophie Schmidt led the team in defense, digging up a total of nineteen balls. Katy Soucek was another defensive leader with sixteen digs. Rupprecht comments on the win. “During our first game against Lawrence-Nelson, I thought we competed well but just fell short. I know the girls were eager to get another chance to play them, so I think that fueled them a little more. We knew we were going to have to force some of their players to do things that were out of their comfort zone if we wanted to challenge them. We came out so strong in the first set and it was like we never looked back. The second set was a different story, which made me a little nervous for the third set, hoping it didn’t diminish their confidence. I was so proud of them for not giving up. We needed to shake our mistakes and play to win the game.”
The Mustangs knew their second game of the day would be a challenge. The team took on the #1 seed in the conference, the Shelton Bulldogs. Despite the loss in the first set, the Mustangs rallied and competed with the Bulldogs, ending the set 22-25. Losing momentum in the second set, the Mustangs fell behind and the two-set game ended with a score of 15-25. The loss placed them to compete the following Monday for third and fourth place in the tournament. Coach Rupprecht comments on the match, saying, “I really wasn’t nervous for the Shelton game. I thought the Lawrence-Nelson game would give them the confidence they needed. I truly felt if we came out and competed hard, we would win the game. I think working so hard and coming up short the first set was a bit of a confidence loss for us. We didn’t come out with the same energy as we had in the first set, unfortunately. But I hope that helps them realize they can compete with any team on the other side of the court.” The Mustangs’ next match would be against the Deshler Dragons. Competing in conference play on Monday was exactly where the Mustangs wanted to be; they were to take on the Deshler Dragons hoping for third place. The Dragons came out ready to play in the first two sets, defeating the Mustangs with scores of 23-25 and 18-25, respectively. The next two sets changed the match drastically, and the Mustangs started to turn the game around. Coach Rupprecht says, “We started to play hard at the end of the first and second sets – which I think was a momentum shift for us because the girls realized we had to play at a high level to compete. They realized how much they wanted to win the game so they fought hard.” The Mustangs took the next two sets. The score of the third set tallied to 25-13, with the fourth set ending 25-15. The game turned into an intense five-set match; the Mustangs were hoping to obtain a win against the Dragons. After Deshler’s tough gameplay in the fifth and final set, the game ended 9-15 in the Dragons’ favor. The Mustangs finished fourth in the 2024 Twin Valley conference tournament. Once again Katy Soucek led the team in offense, acquiring fifteen kills. Libby Soucek followed with nine. The Mustangs also had success with serving aces; Katy Soucek, Karr, and senior Emma Schmidt all obtained three. Sophie Schmidt held down the back row, her tough defense allowing her to gather 33 digs. “I am so unbelievably proud of these girls for never giving up,” Coach Rupprecht comments. “I was excited to have another shot at Deshler, and the girls were as well. We didn’t play our best against them the first time and I felt the momentum from Saturday would help us start the night off strong. Unfortunately, we didn’t. It wasn’t our night at the end of the game, which is always tough.” Come support the team as they play in the first round of sub-districts on Monday, October 28th.