Lady 'Dogs shut down Spirit Lake

After a lengthy bus ride to Spirit Lake, it took the Le Mars volleyball squad a little time to get into their groove.

After a thrilling 29-27 victory in game one, the Lady Bulldogs continued to battle in game two to win 25-23. Game three was a faster win for Le Mars as they won 25-12.

"It took us awhile to get into our groove," Le Mars coach Susan Irwin said. "The first game was a lot of fun, but the gym [at Spirit Lake] was so quiet. But the girls did a nice job."

With the decisive 3-0 match victory coming with the big win in game three, Irwin said that her squad accomplished one of their main goals. "One thing we really talked about before game three was finally staying on top and not letting them back in," she said. "The girls did a nice job."

"I knew the first game would probably be a little slow starting from sitting on the bus that long, but we came out fighting and that was exciting," Irwin continued.

In the 3-0 Lakes Conference win, Le Mars recorded solid numbers in all statistical categories Tuesday night.

"Hitting tonight I think was the key of the game," Irwin said. "Our passing game tonight was absolutely phenomenal, which let our setters make a lot more choices to our hitters. Our setters did a great job and our hitting was really even."

That evenness shows in the number of kills spread amongst the Lady Bulldogs hitters. Kaylee Thompson paced the squad with a team-high eight kills. Kirstie Ruhland and Kelby Klein each smacked in seven while Emily TeBrink had four kills. Irwin said that there were several more girls who each had three kills in the match. "They really did a nice job of throwing off the blocks," Irwin said. "The hits were so evenly put, and that's one thing we've been working on in practice."

Setting up the offense was the setting tandem of Amy Lubben and Molly Fischer. Lubben dished up 17 assists while Fischer added 10.

On the defensive side of the match, Irwin said, "Tara Lehner did a great job at the net." The senior blocked three hits in the match. Lubben added a pair of blocks from the outside.

In the back row, TeBrink led the digging with a team-high 13 digs. Natalie Miller, Cassie Kuiken and Fischer each dug out seven balls to spread the defense evenly as well.

"We had a great night serving as well," Irwin continued.

Ruhland led the team with three aces as she was 15-17 on the night. TeBrink (15-16) and Lubben (11-12) each smacked in two ace serves while Lehner was a perfect 11-11 with two aces as well.

"The girls did a nice job serving," Irwin said. "That was definitely a goal we had. Kirstie Ruhland has a strong serve and when she gets on a roll, she does a great job. In practice, we've been working on hitting spots and that has made a big difference in our game."

On the night, Irwin added, "All [aspects] of our game came together tonight and we never let up."

Le Mars will focus on the Lakes Conference as they battle through their remaining games of the regular season. The next league test will come on Thursday evening as the Lady Bulldogs play host to Class 2A No. 1 Western Christian.

"We're really looking forward to getting [the conference] taken care of," Irwin said. "The goal tonight was to win this conference match and then we have Western at home on Thursday."

After hosting Western, the Lady Bulldogs will compete in the Wolfpack's tournament on Saturday in Hull.