BRODHEAD - By the third week of the season, every team wants to find a groove and figure out a team identity. Brodhead is no different.
But what the Cardinals did in the second game of Tuesday's match against Beloit Turner should be remembered by Brodhead fans for a long time.
Heather Shanks started a 15-point scoring streak to open the set, including four aces in just the final six points. Brodhead went on to win the game by a ghastly score of 25-2.
"Our goal tonight was to come out and serve tough," coach Erin Kammerer said. "Heather Shanks started us with 15 straight points and a lot of aces. That was our goal. We wanted to make sure we were playing at our level."
The Cardinals had won the first set 25-16, but had just one error in Game 2: Amanda Pickel sent a kill shot deep of the zone. Three plays later, leading 17-1, Beloit Turner's Pamela Voegeli found a spot for a kill to inch the Trojans to as close as they would get in the set.
"We're good as a team and if we can get going and keep working, we can be really good down the road," sophomore Carly Mohns said. "We gained confidence and we're really going after it now."
In just the second game alone, the Cardinals collected nearly 10 aces. Sophomore Rachel Heller had three of her five kills late in the game and Mohns capped the game with a pair of aces.
"Our coach always says to keep on working on serving. We really focused on it and it turns out she was right because our serving was really good that game," said Mohns, who had a match-high eight aces, one ahead of Shanks.
In the third game, Brodhead appeared to have taken a slight step back, trailing at one point 8-4 before embarking on a 21-8 run to close the match.
"I thought we played well. In some points of the game we could have done better, but overall we played pretty good," Heller said. "Last year we had a tough year. We were trying to find a good rotation and I think we've found that this year. We're starting to pull it together as a team - and that's everybody, the bench included."
The Cardinals are a young team that boasts just three seniors. The core of the lineup is made up of all sophomores and juniors, all of which have played varsity for a year or two already, making them high-valued court veterans.
"Now we can start to tweak and run more than just basics. We can run a faster offense," Kammerer said.
Heller, Mohns, Shanks, Taylor Douglas and Amanda Pickel, along with freshmen Payton Wright and Erin Marchant, give the Cardinals a core to look up to for this year and beyond.
"I think it's great. I love these girls," Heller said. "We have so many years left together we can get even better. We're getting stronger every year."
Mohns led both teams with eight kills and four blocks, and Douglas had seven assists.
Brodhead travels to Parkview on Thursday.
But what the Cardinals did in the second game of Tuesday's match against Beloit Turner should be remembered by Brodhead fans for a long time.
Heather Shanks started a 15-point scoring streak to open the set, including four aces in just the final six points. Brodhead went on to win the game by a ghastly score of 25-2.
"Our goal tonight was to come out and serve tough," coach Erin Kammerer said. "Heather Shanks started us with 15 straight points and a lot of aces. That was our goal. We wanted to make sure we were playing at our level."
The Cardinals had won the first set 25-16, but had just one error in Game 2: Amanda Pickel sent a kill shot deep of the zone. Three plays later, leading 17-1, Beloit Turner's Pamela Voegeli found a spot for a kill to inch the Trojans to as close as they would get in the set.
"We're good as a team and if we can get going and keep working, we can be really good down the road," sophomore Carly Mohns said. "We gained confidence and we're really going after it now."
In just the second game alone, the Cardinals collected nearly 10 aces. Sophomore Rachel Heller had three of her five kills late in the game and Mohns capped the game with a pair of aces.
"Our coach always says to keep on working on serving. We really focused on it and it turns out she was right because our serving was really good that game," said Mohns, who had a match-high eight aces, one ahead of Shanks.
In the third game, Brodhead appeared to have taken a slight step back, trailing at one point 8-4 before embarking on a 21-8 run to close the match.
"I thought we played well. In some points of the game we could have done better, but overall we played pretty good," Heller said. "Last year we had a tough year. We were trying to find a good rotation and I think we've found that this year. We're starting to pull it together as a team - and that's everybody, the bench included."
The Cardinals are a young team that boasts just three seniors. The core of the lineup is made up of all sophomores and juniors, all of which have played varsity for a year or two already, making them high-valued court veterans.
"Now we can start to tweak and run more than just basics. We can run a faster offense," Kammerer said.
Heller, Mohns, Shanks, Taylor Douglas and Amanda Pickel, along with freshmen Payton Wright and Erin Marchant, give the Cardinals a core to look up to for this year and beyond.
"I think it's great. I love these girls," Heller said. "We have so many years left together we can get even better. We're getting stronger every year."
Mohns led both teams with eight kills and four blocks, and Douglas had seven assists.
Brodhead travels to Parkview on Thursday.
