Injury proves to be a pest for Ozaukee volleyball

The Ozaukee High School volleyball team picked up its first Big East Conference victory of the season last week and hung tough at its home tournament after losing its starting defensive specialist.

The Warriors on Saturday went 2-3. They beat Sheboygan Christian, 25-23, 26-24; and North Fond du Lac, 25-16, 25-10.

Lomira beat the Warriors, 25-16, 19-25, 15-12; along with Kenosha St. Joseph, 25-21, 25-18; and Ronald Reagan, 25-21, 25-21.

The Warriors struggled without Izzy Richards.

“Izzy has been performing at an all-conference rate to start the season and has continued to get better every time she has taken the court. Izzy has led our serve receive and defense all season.  Her communication and confidence was missed this weekend,” coach Paul Jungbauer said.
Sydnie Stadler led the offense with 31 digs. Emily Janowski had 46 digs. Izzy Clark recorded 50 assists. Abby Miller finished with 12 aces. Smith, Abby Paulus and Mackenzie Mueller each had three blocks.

“We played well in rallies and we continued to be aggressive offensively. Our matches were very close and we could have easily gone 5-0 this weekend,” Jungbauer said.

“We continue to improve each time we take the court, once we put it all together on a consistent basis, we will be a very dangerous team late in the season.”

On Sept. 11, Ozaukee got its first conference win against Reedsville, 25-23, 16-25, 25-21, 25-22.

Stadler led the offense with 11 kills and added 14 digs on defense. Miller tallied seven kills and eight aces. Richards had 16 digs. Cayleigh Ebersold dished out 22 assists. Naomi Smith had two blocks.

“In this match, our outsides and middles attacked very well. Izzy Richards led us defensively,” Jungbauer said.

“Reedsville was a very scrappy opponent on defense. They made us earn it.”

Last Thursday, host St. Mary Central beat the Warriors, 25-5, 25-17, 23-25, 25-8.

“There was very little effort or energy in the beginning of the match. In the Big East Conference, you have to come ready to play from the beginning whistle,” Jungbauer said.

“St. Mary’s is a team that was one game away from going to the WIAA State Tournament last season and has returned the majority of their roster,” Jungbauer said.

A few Warriors stood out.

“This match, I was impressed with the continued development of Naomi Smith.  She hit .357 on the evening.  We were also led defensively by Izzy Richards, and her 23 digs.”

Ebersold had 13 assists. Stadler had eight kills, and Smith added five. Mueller had two blocks.

The Warriors played in a quadrangular meet Tuesday at The Prairie School. On Thursday, they play at Kohler and on Saturday play at the Port Washington Invite. On Sept. 25, the Warriors host Sheboygan Christian.

Cedar Grove-Belgium went 1-1 last week. The Rockets won at Kohler, 25-22, 26-28, 25-10, 25-1-2; before Hilbert beat them, 25-19, 25-15, 25-21.

The Rockets play at Howards Grove on Thursday and host Random Lake at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25.

Grafton beat Whitefish Bay on Sept. 13 in a five-game thriller, 21-25, 25-21, 25-22, 22-25, 15-9; and on Sept. 11  beat Homestead, 12-25, 25-15, 25-23, 25-13.

The Hawks host Nicolet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and play at Cedarburg on Sept. 25.