By Kate Sinsel
Playing on a Monday night is never easy. Add to that Monday night two ranked teams, and it gets even more difficult. When the Mustangs took the court to face 28-2 Smith Center, they knew they faced a challenge. Ranked No.1 in 2A, the Redmen have some power at the net, with their senior middle blocker who has earned almost 1200 kills in her career. The Lady Mustangs rose to the challenge to pick up 27 digs, with senior Katelyn Karr picking up eight and junior Georgi tenBensel adding seven. Though the Mustangs fought on defense, they struggled to get any offense generated, with a season-low of 11 kills. The Mustangs fell in two sets.
Having to bounce back quickly, Silver Lake regrouped to face the D-1 14th ranked Eagles of Bruning-Davenport Shickley on their home court. At 17-4, the Eagles proved to be another challenge. Being outsized on the other side of the net, the Mustangs worked defensively to keep the ball in play. Totalling 40 digs, the Mustangs were able to put a stop to some of their tough hitters. Karr earned 14 digs, and tenBensel and senior Amanda Ehrman each picked up eight. The Mustangs were able to get some momentum to get a lead; however, some woes at the service line gave the Eagles some easy points. The Mustangs were defeated 25-15 in the first set. Silver Lake tried out a few different groups of girls to turn the momentum in their favor in the second set but lost 25-18. Offensively, the Mustangs totaled 14 kills, with tenBensel and junior Brooklyn Meyer adding contributing five and four respectively. The Mustangs look ahead to a week of practice to prepare for their triangular on Tuesday, October 12 where they face Twin Valley Conference opponents Deshler and Franklin.