In a volleyball match on Tuesday, Sept. 5, that went to five sets, the United South Central Rebels ended up losing to the Madelia Blackhawks by a 3-2 score.

After losing the first two sets 25-15 and 25-17, the Rebels rebounded and came back to win the next two sets by identical 25-22 scores.

Tied up at 2-2, the Hawks won the final set 15-11.

“Tough loss tonight, but our kids really battled,” coach Joe Kuechenmeister said. “It would have been easy to roll over after two poor sets to begin the match, but we settled in and worked ourselves into a position to win in the fifth and final one and I’m proud of the effort.”

Kiera Schultz led the Rebels with 23 kills, five digs and four blocks. Kendal Harpestad had nine kills, eight digs and two blocks. Jaelyn Stangler added five kills and two blocks.

Coach Kuechenmeister says the conditions were not ideal with the temperature and slippery floor from the humidity, but that the team responded by being forced to focus on things they could control.

“When we started serving tougher we had more success, and minus a few hiccups in the fifth set, I thought we dictated play for the majority of sets three, four and five,” the Rebels’ mentor said. “Riley Getchell came in and was a force from behind the service line racking up two aces without any errors. Kiera Schultz was stellar in the front row with a career high 23 kills. Her game continues to elevate each time she takes the floor.”

Madison Passer had three kills and four digs, Macy Sonnek added two kills, Karly Koehler had 13 digs and three aces and Chloe Lutteke had four digs and one ace.

Eleny Korn had 33 assists, one kill and one dig.

“While a disappointing loss, we learned some things about ourselves,” the coach adds. “We need to be tougher mentally, especially when the going gets tough, and we need to be better focused on our scouting report. That got away in some crucial moments, and that just can’t happen if we hope to compete at a high level. If we can do those things though, and match the effort and intensity of sets three and four, good things will happen. We’re going to keep working!”

USC is now 1-1 (0-0 Gopher) and the Rebels were set to play again on Thursday when they host Kenyon-Wanamingo.

USC 3, T/ML/GHEC 0

The United South Central girls volleyball team got the season off to a nice start with a three game sweep of Truman/Martin Luther/Granada-Huntley-East Chain on Thursday, Aug. 31.

The Rebels won the match 3-0, with scores of 25-18, 26-24, 25-18.

“Great way for our kids to come out and start the season,” coach Joe Kuechenmeister said. “It wasn’t an easy match by any means, and we dealt with a certain amount of adversity in each set, but I was proud of the way they hung together, committed to keeping the ball off the floor, and found a way to get the W.”

Kiera Schultz led the way with 10 kills, 10 digs, three blocks and two aces.

“The comeback in Set 2 after being down 19-11 was huge for our confidence,” the coach added. “Kiera Schultz was tough for us tonight leading us in both kills and digs. She gives our offense a lot of dimension from that middle spot with her ability to hit in front of and behind the setter.”

Jaelyn Stangler added eight kills and two blocks, while Eleny Korn had 30 assists, five digs and two aces.

“Jaelyn Stangler had a great varsity debut as a sophomore racking up eight kills,” the Rebel mentor added. “Eleny Korn deserves a ton of credit too as she really put our hitters in winning positions tonight. It was a true team effort.”

Kendal Harpestad had seven kills, six digs and one block. Madison Passer added six kills and nine digs. Macy Sonnek had one kill, Karly Koehler had six digs and Chloe Lutteke had two digs.

“While it was a win, we can’t be satisfied, and we’ll get back to the drawing board to sharpen up for Madelia next Tuesday,” Kuechenmeister added.