The women’s volleyball team returned home as they snagged their first GLIAC win of the season Sept. 25. The Cardinals defeated Lake Superior 3-1 and closed the match with set scores of 25-17, 25-15, 24-26, and 25-19.
Junior captain Rachel Townsend, who earned GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors earlier this season, led the charge with 14 kills and an ace. Ava Decker and Chloe Vanwinkle added seven kills each. Setter Jackie Scheiber led the offense with 34 assists, while Elizabeth Bruschuk held the fort in defense with 17 digs.
Head Coach Lana Rybkowski commented on the team’s preparation.
“I thought we did a great job [and] our strategy was to play fast and move our ball around,” Rybkowski said. “Lake State is quite tall, so our goal was to make them move and catch us.”
The Cardinals dominated from the beginning with robust serving and balanced hitting. The third set did not go in the Cardinal’s favor, however, they ended the game with a fourth set win.
Rybkowski felt the game was another display of Townsend’s abilities.
“Rachel is one of our captains, [a] true leader [who] has been impressing me every day,” Rybkowski stated. “If we compare this year’s Rachel and last year’s Rachel, she is an all-around different player.”
Townsend reinforced the importance of team chemistry in her performance.
“I think the key factor to my success was how well my teammates have been performing, which allowed me to have openings in the block and get a kill,” Townsend said. “We passed well, spread out our offense … which allowed me to succeed.”
Rybkowski highlighted the importance of every individual on the team.
“We give everyone opportunities to prove themselves every day,” Rybkowski explained. “We are united no matter if you are on the court or on the bench.”
Townsend also commented on her chemistry with Scheiber.
“Working with Jackie has been great,” Townsend said. “She is always open to feedback and trying to help her hitters improve.”
Rybkowski saw this win as a springboard while acknowledging some weaknesses.
“Our team’s strength is how close we are and how transparent we are with each other,” Rybkowski said. “Our weakness is inexperience [but] getting more experienced comes with time and lots of games.”
Townsend added that confidence will be key going forward.
“I think our team can use this momentum and build [on] it to win our [next game] and hopefully finish high up in the conference,” Townsend said. “I know we are a good team, and when we have confidence that we can win, we will.”
The Cardinals now turn their attention to Davenport, where they are hoping to continue the streak.
