Lady Cats end season

High school Regional Volleyball was a little different this year making the end of the season for the Lady Bobcats a little rough.

The girls took on the number one ranked Douglas Lady Bearcats in their first game last Thursday and head coach Shannon Hill said they were a little nervous stepping out onto the court.

They got stuck in a few rotations and ended up losing their first game, 8-25.

“I knew my girls could play better than that,” Hill said, “and they came out in game two and played great, even though they ended up losing 18-25. It was the best I have seen them play all season.

“They played great defense and had multiple long rallies. They played so hard and refused to give up.”

The Lady Bearcats came out tough in game three and took that one pretty easily with the Lady Cats losing that one, 6-25.

“I am going to remember my team that played in game two because that was the team I knew they could be all season,” Hill said. “Normally at Regionals we would have a chance to play again, but this year it was a ‘one and done’ situation, so it was a tough match to end on for our girls, especially our seniors.”

Hill said the season had its ups and downs, but it had its moments of greatness, also.

“I loved watching this team play as a team and work as a well-oiled machine,” she said. “We struggled with consistency, but the work I saw in practice was amazing and the dedication they all had to improving was awesome to see, from freshmen all the way to seniors.

“I cannot thank the seniors enough for their constant dedication and work they put in the past four years. All seven of them showed up each day with a growth mindset attitude and pushed each other and their teammates.

“There will be a lot of gaps to fill next year, but I know we have the passion and drive within our program to keep pushing forward. Each team proved that this program can compete in 3A and be successful at this level, which is a mentality we have been trying to push in our program.

“I know this season was tough, with no tournaments and always dealing with the unknown, but I am so proud of each and every girl for stepping up to the challenge and taking one day at a time.”

Grace Whitt had four kills and two blocks during the playoff game, followed by Reagan Severance with three kills. Kamry Bowman also added eight digs to her stats in the final match-up of the season.

Hill said she would also like to thank her coaching staff, Cortney O’Connor, Dana Bjorhus and Maggie Ryan, for their constant support of her and the girls all season.

“I couldn’t do all of this without you and truly cannot thank you enough for time away from your families and jobs to support our volleyball program,” she said. “All of you are amazing role models and our girls are lucky to have all of you to look up to.”