By Ava Sorensen
The Silver Lake Girls volleyball team competed in the D2-5 Sub-Districts on October 28. As the number 2 seed, Silver Lake challenged the number 3 seeded Giltner Hornets. Silver Lake fell in the first set, 20-25. However, they took the next two sets 25-16 and 25-19. Senior middle blocker Katy Soucek led the Mustangs offense with 11 kills, while senior outside hitter McKenna Pankoke added 10, and junior middle blocker MaKenna Karr contributed 9. Freshman setter Libby Soucek earned 19 assists for the match. Despite a well-rounded offensive presence, the Mustangs fell in the fourth set 17-25, forcing a fifth set. A strong back-row presence from junior libero Sophie Schmidt, who tallied 53 digs for the match, allowed the Mustangs to come out on top 15-13 in the 5th set.
With the victory, the Mustangs took on the number 1-seeded Shelton Bulldogs on Tuesday, October 29th. The Bulldogs took the victory 3-0, ending the Mustangs’ season. Katy Soucek and Libby Soucek led the offense with 8 and 6 kills, respectively. Senior Emma Schmidt and Libby Soucek each contributed 9 assists, and Sophie Schmidt added 21 kills for the night.
Head Coach Shelby Rupprect said, “I thought the girls did well. Unfortunately, we fell short of our goal, but I’m super proud of them for competing until the very end. The seniors did a great job of paving the way for the younger athletes. They’ve been dedicated to the program for four years and have shown what hard work, commitment, and determination look like through their efforts they put into the offseason. The weight room and work we do in the summer is what pushes us to be better and I’m really proud of them for setting high expectations and an example of what it takes to be great.”
The Mustangs finished their season with a 14-15 record and will graduate six seniors.