Wolves ready for conference play
By Corrie Ziemer
Strong serving and solid team play drove the Manawa volleyball team to a trip to the championship match at the Dodgeland Invitational Sept. 8 in Juneau.
Although the day ended with a loss to Laconia, the Wolves returned home with four wins and second-place medals.
The Wolves also fell to Weyauwega-Fremont Sept. 4.
Dodgeland Invitational
Manawa defeated Cambridge, Oakfield and Dodgeland in pool play before advancing to the championship match with a win over Poynette.
The Wolves opened the tournament with a 25-20 win over Cambridge. Kirstin Schernecker led the Wolves with eight points, while Laynie Bessette and Kellyn Kaczorowski added five each.
Manawa followed that win up with a 25-7, 26-24 win over Oakfield. Grace Johnson served up 13 points in a row, including a pair of aces, in the first set. Johnson connected on all 17 of her serves in the match while adding 14 digs. The Wolves missed only one of 50 serves. Bessette scored eight points and Katie Buschke added 10 assists.
The Wolves wrapped up pool play with a 25-12, 25-18 win over Dodgeland. Chloe Johnson had 12 digs and three aces and nine of Manawa’s 12 players scored at least one point.
Manawa advanced to the title match with a 26-24, 25-21 win over Poynette. Buschke had 17 assists and 11 digs in the match, while Bessette and Schernecker added 10 and seven points, respectively. Chloe Johnson led the team with 17 digs, while Grace Johnson added 14 and Bessette and Schernecker chipped in with 12 each.
Laconia won the tournament with a 25-19, 25-17 win over the Wolves. Kassidee Zander, Mikayla Wegener, Grace Johnson, Buschke and Chloe Johnson served 100 percent against the Spartans. Bessette had seven points and 11 digs, while Schernecker contributed four points and 11 digs and Chloe Johnson finished with 14 digs.
W-F 3, Manawa 0
The Indians won the Central Wisconsin Conference match with 25-20, 26-24 and 25-17 victories.
Bessette led the Wolves with 15 points on 11 kills, three aces and a block; Buschke contributed 20 assists; Chloe Johnson added 25 digs and two aces; Schernecker had 13 digs and Wegener connected on all eight of her serves.
The Wolves traveled to Marion Sept. 11 and will host Tigerton at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13, before heading to the Suring Invitational Saturday, Sept. 15.
The Wolves also wrapped up August by winning a match over Wild Rose and a four-team tournament in Almond.
Manawa 3, Wild Rose 0
The Wolves headed to Wild Rose Aug. 27 and returned home with a 25-21, 25-21, 25-19 win.
Bessette led the team with 15 points and 22 digs, while Schernecker added nine points and 16 digs and Chloe and Grace Johnson finished with 36 digs and 14 digs, respectively.
Almond-Bancroft Invitational
The Wolves picked up wins over Iola-Scandinavia, Almond-Bancroft and Marion Aug. 30.
Manawa defeated Iola-Scandinavia 25-23, 14-25, 25-18.
Bessette left the first set with an injury, but returned for the second and third games and led the team with 10 points. Kaczorowski scored eight points and Schernecker added seven.
Buschke finished with 12 assists and Chloe Johnson led the defense with 17 digs.
The Wolves defeated the host Eagles 31-29, 25-14 behind seven points for Kaczorowski, 22 digs from Chloe Johnson and 11 assists from Buschke.
The Wolves wrapped up the tournament with a pair of 25-17 wins over Marion.
Kaczorowski led the team with 11 points, four of them on block kills. Bessette added nine points and Chloe Johnson finished the match wtih 25 digs.
The Wolves traveled to Marion Sept. 11 and will host Tigerton at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13, before heading to the Suring Invitational Saturday, Sept. 15.
• Corrie Ziemer is the varsity volleyball coach at Little Wolf High School in Manawa.
