REBELS BATTLE WWG IN 4 SETS

The MCC Rebel Volleyball team continued their test week in the Red Rock Conference. The Rebels won their first four games in conference play before losing to SWC on Tuesday. On Thursday they hosted the WWG Chargers, who are another top team in the Red Rock Conference. Playing back to back games against the best teams allows you to see where you are at and how far you have to go to get to the top. The Rebels learned they have a ways to go to compete for a Conference Title.

The Chargers came into Thursday’s game at 10-2 on the season with a key loss to SWC 3-1 but a big win over RTR 3-0. The Chargers have two experienced hitters who got their chance to swing away at the Rebel defense. Game one saw a back and forth battle through the early part of the game, but WWG pulled away late, picking up a 25 to 20 win. The Rebels showed some scrappy play to stay in the game but the Chargers had more hitting opportunities. Game 2 was all Chargers as they won 25 to 14. The Rebels struggled in all areas, allowing the Chargers to pick up the second win. Game three, down 2 sets to none, the Rebels played their best game of the night. The Rebels battled, putting together a good serving set where they kept WWG off balance. The Rebels hitters got some good looks as the passing was more on point in game three, especially late in the game, and the Rebels won 25 to 23. The Rebels and Chargers went back and forth in the fourth set. The Chargers pulled away with some good serving by Natalie Wahl. Carlie Ross got some key kills down the stretch and the Chargers won, 25 to 21, to take the game 3 sets to 1.

What separates the Chargers and the Rebels at this point? The Chargers know exactly who they can depend on to score points on a regular basis. They know if they get passes to Natalie Wahl and Carlie Ross, the team will score some points. The Rebels are still figuring out who their go-to hitters are because of youth, inexperience, and inconsistency. The Rebels have shown the ability to have 3, 4, or 5 players get kills in a match, but they have yet to find one or two of those players who can do it on a regular basis. Every game it changes. Thursday, Suttyn Schryvers and Kate Blankenship had 11 and 10 kills respectively. The Rebels had 4 players with ten or more digs in the game, led by Blankenship with 22. Thea Schneider led the Rebels with 22 set assists and Kelli Miller added 12. The Rebels will play in Bertha Minnesota on Saturday in a tournament.