Patriots Face Tough Competition at Wisner-Pilger Tourney
By: Kennedy Settje, a junior at Leigh High School
With its reputation for being a highly competitive day of volleyball, the Wisner-Pilger tournament on Saturday, October 10, was one the Patriots knew they had to be prepared for. Packed full of top-ranked teams, the tournament proved to be tough day for the Patriots, as they went 1-2 on the day and picked up just their third and fourth losses of the whole season.
Assistant coach Jennifer Remmereid said, "It was a tough tournament for us. There were some good teams there that we could have beat, but in the end, they outworked us. I'm confident that we can bounce back, work on the things we need to get better at, and find our groove again."
The first match-up of the day was against Wisner-Pilger. The number-four ranked Patriots went head to head with the fifth-seeded Gators. The game was back and forth throughout all matches, which made it very interesting for both the players and the fans.
Starting off a step slow, the Patriots lost the first set to the Gators, 22-25. The Patriots knew they could do better and proved it the next two sets. They gathered themselves and stayed calmer in the midst of a very close game. This proved to be successful, as the Patriots won the next two sets and the game, with scores of 25-21 for the second set, and 25-21 the third set.
Clarkson-Leigh’s next battle was against the undefeated St. Paul Wildcats. Finding their weak points and being mindful of their go-to hitters would be key for the Patriots in a game like this. By watching their warm-ups, the Patriots gathered as much about them as they could and went from there.
The Patriots came out in both sets swinging away. They played loose and without the fear of losing. Clarkson-Leigh wanted to take this match from St. Paul. Although it was neck and neck throughout most of the match, the Wildcats pulled away and won the first set 19-25 and the second set 15-25.
This loss landed the Patriots in the consolation battle for third and fourth. The Patriots knew they had a chance to take home a bronze medal when they battled the O’Neill Eagles in the last game of the day.
This game was very close with numerous lead changes, keeping everyone on their toes. The back-and-forth battle did not seem to be enough for the Patriots, though. O'Neill took all the momentum and ran with it, winning the first set 25-21.
The Patriots didn’t want to go out with two losses on the day. They battled hard the second set, but it wasn’t enough to win. The Patriots lost the second set, 24-26, ending the day 1-2.
Senior Alissa Kasik said this about the tournament, “We didn't play the tournament the way we would have liked, but we fought and never gave up. We competed against some solid teams. Coming off of games like this will help prepare us for the postseason. We have a lot of expectations coming in the weeks ahead, and we know what we need to do to prove our ranking."
Stats vs. Wisner-Pilger:
Set 1 Set 2 Set 3
CL 22 25 25
WP 25 21 21
(kills, aces, blocks, digs, assists)
Makenna Held: 1, 0, 0, 9, 27; Chloe Hanel: 6, 0, 1, 10, 1; Kayden Schumacher: 9, 4, 0, 15, 0; Bailey Lemburg: 0, 2, 0, 6, 0; Alissa Kasik: 0, 4, 0, 14, 0; Cassidy Hoffman: 10, 0, 0, 2, 0; Kennedy Settje: 6, 0, 0, 8, 0; Korbee Wendt: 2, 0, 0, 7, 0
*Stats for the St. Paul and O’Neill game were unavailable at time of print.