MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (Oct. 21–28)
WIAA D5 VOLLEYBALL: No. 4 Southwestern 3, No. 1 Argyle 2

By A.J. Gates, Tri-County Press / Herald Independent

Wildcats upset #1-ranked Argyle Orioles to win D5 regional title
HAZEL GREEN – Under first-year head coach Karen Anger, the Southwestern varsity volleyball team brought home a WIAA Division 5 regional title last Saturday night, and look to be the hottest No. 4 seed in their tournament bracket.

Following a first-round bye and a 3–2 regional semifinal victory over Potosi, the Wildcats claimed their regional title with a 3–2 victory over top-seeded Argyle last Saturday evening.

The win puts coach Anger’s squad at 15–11 heading into sectional play, where they will take on No. 3 seed Pecatonica this Thursday night at 7 p.m.

Against the No. 5 seeded Chieftains of Potosi last Thursday night, the Wildcats overcame a 2–1 deficit to win the last two sets and claim a 3–2 victory

After winning the first set 25–18, coach Anger’s squad took a commanding lead in the second, hitting their way to a 16–5 advantage over the Chieftains.

Momentum quickly shifted back to Potosi, who had a number of key blocks during the set, and pulled out a surprising 25–23 victory to even the match at one set each.

Potosi’s momentum carried over into the third set, as they held a six-point advantage on their way to a 25–18 victory and a 2–1 lead over their host.

With their backs against the wall, coach Anger’s Wildcats evened up the match with a 25–17 victory in the fourth set.

With the match and season coming down to the fifth-and-deciding set to 15, the Wildcats and Chieftains battled to a 14-14 tie before Southwestern reeled off two straight points to secure the victory and live to play another day.

Leading the Wildcats at the net last Thursday night was sophomore outside hitter Abigail Foley with 18 kills, while seniors Leila Lisk and Laney Ehrlich, as well as junior Karlee Grant, each had two blocks in the victory.

Dishing out a team-high 39 assists was senior setter Alyssa Shelliam, who also led the Wildcats with five service aces, while junior defensive specialist Riley Lewerke came up with a team-high 21 digs.

In Saturday’s match against the Orioles, Southwestern started things off with a decisive 25–12 loss in the first set, only to pull out victories of 25–22 and 25–23 in the second and third sets.

Unable to close out their opponent in four sets, the Wildcats lost 25–17, sending the match into a fifth set, which they won 15–6.

“I thought we played very well after we got the first game out of the way,” said coach Anger. “We played with too many nerves and did not execute our game plan.”

“In games two and three we played how we needed to. In volleyball, momentum can shift very easily and Argyle took every once of momentum we had in game four,” Anger added.

“By the fifth set, we played Southwestern volleyball from point one. We did not let them in and gave them everything we had,” Anger concluded.

Leading the Wildcats at the net with 17 kills was Abigail Foley, while Karlee Grant had a team-high five blocks.

Shelliam dished out a team-high 29 assists in the victory, while Riley Lewerke had 14 digs and Laney Ehrlich four service aces.

The Wildcats are the lowest seed remaining in their sectional bracket, which isn’t all that surprising to coach Anger.

“We have a lot of seniors on our squad and they have bought into our expectations. They know they can play high level volleyball and winning the regional proved it,” Anger said.

“These girls have put in a lot of time over the summer coming to open gyms as well as hitting the weight room. Our season has been a roller coaster of highs and far too many lows,” Anger added. “It means a lot to this group of girls to come in as the fourth seed and prove they can play just as well as the No. 1 seed.”

Southwestern 3, Argyle 2
(D5 regional final from Saturday, Oct. 25, at Argyle)
Southwestern...12 25 25 17 15
Argyle................25 22 23 25 6
Southwestern leaders
Kills - Abigail Foley 17. Digs - Riley Lewerke 14. Aces - Laney Ehrlich 4. Assists - Alyssa Shelliam 29. Blocks - Karlee Grant 5.