Despite their inexperience and the amount of roster turnover from last season, Conner is establishing a name for themselves.
In Hebron, the Lady Cougars downed Dixie Heights 3-0 (25-13, 29-27, 25-13) to remain perfect at 3-0 on the season.
Conner controlled two of the three sets, but their youth showed in the second. The Colonels held a late lead, 27-26, but the Lady Cougars were able to rally back with a 3-0 run to clinch the set.
“We had it against Brossart, Boone and now against Dixie. We win the first two and all of a sudden we go on cruise control rather than finishing it out,” Conner coach Douglas Rabe said. “Where we’re lacking is our experience. We’ve got a lot of girls out there that haven’t played in pressure situations, but I do think that we’re getting better, even playing when we’re down. I think we’re gaining experience that should help us make a decent run.”
Five of the 12 players on the team are seniors, with three juniors, two sophomores and a freshman.
The key to their success in the first and third set came through their offense.
“I do think that are middles are feeling more comfortable and I like our setters,” Rabe said. “Charlotte Patton and Annika Berwanger stepped up as well. We’re trying to run a quicker offense. They’re zoning in and playing when the ball is in the air rather than ball watching.”
Annika Berwanger spearheaded the team’s total of 40 kills with 13 of her own, followed by Shylyn Koerber with eight. Charlotte Patton and Rhiannon Sandeen both contributed seven each.
Koerber delivered an all-around performance. Along with the kills, she had one block, ten assists, 12 digs, and five aces.
Mackenzie Sandeen supported with her own strong showing of 21 assists and 13 digs.
The match began with a series of momentum shifts favoring Conner. The Lady Cougars finished the first set with a 9-3 run and the final set followed a similar pattern, as they went on a 13-4 run to win the game.
Dixie Heights had it’s challenging moments. The Colonels had difficulty returning serves, allowing Conner to rack up 15 aces, but they also demonstrated glimpses of what can be become a successful squad.
“I’m proud of us and our effort,” Dixie coach Julie Kelly said. “We started out passing a little rough, but it got better and we started to play better overall. We made plays that I’ve never seen before in terms of effort and we had a really good attitude. I would have liked to win that second set, but the back and forth was fun. They never gave up”
It’s still early in the season, so Dixie Heights is still in the process of adjusting from some key losses from last year. This is the second game that the Colonels haven’t won a set.
“We’re missing our big hitter from last season,” Kelly said. “We’re making up for that with a more balanced offense this year. I think that will eventually help us.”
Conner aims to extend their winning streak as they travel to face Walton-Verona on Wednesday while Dixie (1-2) seeks redemption in Edgewood against Boone County.
