The Whippet Varsity Volleyball Team opened conference play with a 3-0 sweep of the visiting Monroe Cheesemakers on Thursday, September 10. The Whippets came out strong from the start and never looked back in sets one and two winning 25-19 and 25-21.

Coach Dowden commented, “It was fun to see the players put it all together. They were aggressive and played as a team all night. It was great to see and feel the energy both on the court and from our fans all match. Leading into tonight we discussed three keys to this match: communication, serve receive and transitioning fast at the net. In addition, we talked about limiting our mistakes and moving on to the next play. Short of set three when our serve receive struggled a bit, the team really pulled together and accomplished our goals, and we couldn’t be more proud of their effort. This was a great team win.”

Probably the most exciting to see was the team’s grit in set three of the match. Coming out slow, the Whippets dug themselves a hole in the set finding themselves down 0-6 before etching their way back into the set. Closing out the set, the Whippets were down 16-18 and fought back to make it 20-20. Monroe called a time out and the battle continued back and forth with the Whippets dominating the final points behind the serves of Emi Islas, blocks of Emery Kachel, and the swings of Jasmine Kilar; the Whippets won 25-22.

Stat leaders on the night include Sophomore Jasmine Kilar leading the way with 8 kills, 10 digs, and 2 service aces. Junior Mary Mason notched 6 aces on the night. Junior Emery Kachel added 6 kills and 2 blocks. Finally, Seniors Maddie Morton and Rowan Seaver added 1 block and 15 assists on the night.

The Whippets will travel away to Dodgeland for a tournament this Saturday. 

Article and Photo Submitted by Mary Kilar