NEW GLARUS — After losing three of its last four games in the regular season, New Glarus (22-10, 8-2 Capitol South) bounced back for a three-set victory over Boscobel (7-15, 3-9 SWAL) in the WIAA regional quarterfinal on Tuesday, Oct. 18.
The Knights jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first set, thanks to senior Amber Horn. Of the seven offensive points, Horn was responsible for six of them with three kills and three blocks.
Rather than letting the excitement of the game shake her, Horn remained calm.
“I just try to go in really relaxed,” Horn said of her pregame routine. “As a middle, I try to focus more on my blocking rather than hitting because that’s a middle’s job. I try to stay relaxed through everything.”
Lindsey Schadewalt scored the 10th point for New Glarus and, after a lift called on the Knights, went on to knock down two more kills before a Bulldog timeout. Boscobel used both of its first-set timeouts early, as they trailed 1-14.
Out of the timeout, Boscobel got another point on a New Glarus lift. The team didn’t register its first point by kill until 4-16, thanks to Erin Knowles.
The Knights allowed just three more points en route to a 25-7 victory in set one. Of the Bulldogs’ seven points, just two of them were offensive. The other five came from New Glarus errors.
Boscobel proved tougher in the second set, as the two teams were tied up five times early on.
Schadewalt broke the 5-5 tie, from which New Glarus never looked back. Later on, Schadewalt extended the Knights’ lead to 9-6 on a no-look tip.
Down 7-13, Boscobel took its first timeout of the second set. Grace Nommensen made sure the pause didn’t stall her team’s momentum, as she spiked two kills for a 15-8 lead.
In the final stretch, Jordyn Runde came alive. She collected three consecutive points with two kills and a double block with teammate Veronica Tollakson.
The Knights took set two 25-14 on a service error by Makenzie Fritz.
Once again, the two teams fought back and forth early in the third set. New Glarus came from behind, tied the set and took the lead on a four-point rally. Runde and Nommensen recorded a kill each, Morgan Kleeman and Horn combined for a block and Izzy Zimmerman served up an ace.
Boscobel worked its way back to a one-point deficit on three New Glarus errors and two kills from Knowles. In response, the Knights called a timeout.
“We just needed to clean things up,” head coach Kayla Zimmerman said. “We got a little loose. We had put a lot of people in who don’t always play next to each other. We just had to clean things up and keep track of the ball.”
The timeout proved effective, as the Knights went on a seven-point rally. In that stretch, Payton Schneider recorded her first kill with a swing from the back row.
New Glarus won the third set 25-15, scoring the last four points on kill from senior Jenna Krantz and two service aces from Zimmerman.
The kill was Krantz’s first of the game, as she came off the bench. She was one of several substitutes to see the floor, including freshman Ella Woodmansee.
“One of the best attributes about our team is they really do care about each other,” Zimmerman said. “It’s always the best part of the game when we can play everybody. The support that those kids who normally don’t get on the court from those that do is refreshing.”
In the scorebook, New Glarus was led by four players. Nommensen knocked down 11 kills while assisting in nine others. Schadewalt distributed the offense with 13 assists and had six kills of her own. Horn dominated at the net with seven blocks along with seven kills. Libero Schneider dug out 13 balls.
New Glarus will host another SWAL member, Cuba City (19-5, 9-3), on Thursday, Oct. 20. The Cubans finished second in the SWAL behind Mineral Point (16-6, 11-1). Cuba City defeated Belleville in the quarterfinal 3-0.
“They are always a really talented team,” Zimmerman said. “They play really great, scrappy defense. There’s a fluidity in the way they move. We will have to come ready to play. It will be a different speed of a game.”
