Volleyball team can’t corral Bison

Jason Ferguson

Published: Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

Wildcat senior Taava Cooper drops to the ground to dig up a Red Cloud serve during the District 15A first round playoff game between Custer and Red Cloud Oct. 4 in the armory. Cooper played a big role in the Wildcat win, with six kills and three aces on a

    Although they were playing some of their best volleyball headed into the game, the Custer High School volleyball team couldn’t spring an upset on the Hot Springs Bison last Friday night during the championship match of the District 15A tournament.   Custer came out strong and led for much of the first game, before losing 25-22. The Bison took control over the visiting Wildcats from there, winning the next two games much easier, 25-14, 25-19. The game was originally scheduled to be played last Thursday night, but was postponed until Friday because of last week’s blizzard. “We came out all guns, then a couple of things didn’t go our way and we just shut down,” head coach Renae Schneider said. Schneider said Taava Cooper and Melissa Flores both had strong games, with Cooper having nine kills and Flores adding eight. “Taava played really well. She was aggressive at the net,” Schneider said. Hot Springs moved on to play St. Thomas More in the Region 8A championship game. St. Thomas More defeated Belle Fourche in the District 16A championship game. The winner of that match will play in the Class A state volleyball tournament Nov. 20-22 at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City.  The Wildcats started district play with a 25-21, 25-8, 23-25 25-19 win over Red Cloud Oct. 4 at the armory. The tandem of Flores and Cooper proved to be more than the Crusaders could handle, as Cooper was 11 of 12 serving with three aces, 20 of 22 hitting with six kills and had one solo block, while Flores was 16 of 20 hitting with 12 kills and also had a block. Kristy Deatherage also had a nice game, going 13 of 13 serving and 16 of 17 setting. Allison Kostelecky was 10 of 13 serving with two aces and 26 of 26 setting, while Ellie Parsons was 10 of 15 serving with an ace and 11 of 11 receiving.  Sophomore Taylor Neugebauer  was 13 of 17 serving with two aces, three of five hitting with three kills and seven of seven receiving. Johnah Menken was seven of 11 serving with two aces and six of eight receiving. The Wildcats lose five seniors from this year’s team—Menken, Deatherage, Cooper, Lindsay Uhrich and Cora Nelson. The Wildcats finished the season with a record of 13-20 overall. The head coaching position for Custer volleyball has been somewhat of a revolving door in recent years, but Schneider said she and her assistants, Stephanie Ornelas and Amy Larsen, plan to continue to coach the team and build the program. “We have some good athletes; we just have to get more mentally competitive,” she said. Schneider said some of the team members are among the top of the state in statistics. Flores is among the top 20 in both hitting percentage and kills, while Deatherage is also among the top 20 in setting percentage. A solid group of players return for Custer next year, led by Flores, Kostelecky and Parsons. Other members who saw considerable playing time will return next season as well, including Neugebauer  and fellow sophomore Jessy Harbach, along with juniors Shawna Gibson and Zoey Bradeen. Some of the younger junior varsity players are also expected to step up and make contributions to the team next season. “We have a solid core,” Schneider said. “They have indicated they plan to hit the weight room and put in the gym time.”