Staff
Looking for an indication the bar has been raised when it comes to expectations for the Muskie senior girls’ volleyball team?
Three-set sweeps now can be considered sub-par.
The Muskies closed out the NorWOSSA regular season Monday with a 3-0 win (27-25, 25-21, and 25-13) over the host Kenora Broncos.
But co-coach Amy Wilson-Hands wasn’t leaping for joy about the performance as Fort High (7-1) awaits its NorWOSSA final appearance here Friday at 5:30 p.m. against the semi-final survivor between the Broncos (1-7) and Dryden Eagles (4-4).
The Eagles are the 15-time defending NorWOSSA champs, whose amazing run of success has been targeted by Wilson-Hands since Day 1 of this season and whom she expects won’t hand over their long-held crown without the fiercest of fights.
“We were missing Sydney [White] and Alyssa [Clendenning], and we had some players trying out different positions to see what could work differently if needed in NorWOSSA as we knew we had already clinched first place in league play,” Wilson-Hands said of Monday’s match in Kenora.
The Muskies led 21-5 in the first set but saw it vanish before eventually prevailing.
“Our serving game was not our best yesterday [Monday] but they worked through it,” she admitted.
“The Muskie coaching staff believes that we have done everything needed in the gym, as well as the classroom, to take the NorWOSSA championship game for the first time in 16 years,” added Wilson-Hands.
“We know whomever we end up playing will give us a great game.”
Fort High has a sets record of 22-8 in NorWOSSA play this season compared to 15-16 for Dryden and 9-22 for Kenora.
The Muskies have made their strongest statements away from the league, though, with two tournament titles in Thunder Bay under their belt, as well as silver medals at events in Dryden and Kenora.
As for the junior girls, the Muskies (7-1) also will get extra rest Friday ahead of their 3:30 p.m. showdown against either Dryden (5-3) or Kenora (0-8) for NorWOSSA gold.
Fort High had a small hiccup Monday but recovered nicely to beat Kenora by a count of 3-1 (25-14, 17-25, 25-12, and 25-11).
“The girls are getting it,” said Muskie coach Bob Kowal, whose team was one game better than its senior counterpart with a 23-8 sets record in NorWOSSA compared to Dryden (17-13) and Kenora (5-24).
“They’re making fewer and fewer mistakes,” he noted.
The junior Muskies enter the playoffs as the two-time defending NorWOSSA champs.
