The Mound Westonka volleyball team had a split week with one win and one loss.

The week started in Orono on Oct. 3. It was an exciting night of volleyball, as the White Hawks fought hard to get the win in five sets. Westonka would take the first set 25-17 after sophomore Avery Pearson served five in a row. 

A pattern of strong serving continued all night, as senior Kendal Richie served five in a row in the second set and the Hawks took the win, 27-25. Sophomore Meaghan Kreiser took her turn by serving seven straight in the third set, but the White Hawks would fall 23-25. Richie would again step up, serving five straight in the fourth set, but it wasn’t enough, and Westonka would lose 22-25. In the fifth set sophomore Bridget Budzius would serve seven in a row, during which Kreiser would have three kills, resulting in the White Hawks winning 15-8. 

Other highlights from the game include Pearson and Ashtyn Cupp serving at 100 percent. The offense in the front row was explosive with 58 total kills. Junior Mia Weaver and Kreiser had 16 kills each; Budzius wasn’t far behind with 12. Junior Taryn Peglow had nine kills, and senior Maquinna Peglow had five. The same players would put up a combined nine blocks to defend against the Spartan attacks. Richie would dig 22 balls to keep them in play and allow a combined total of 49 assists from Pearson and Cupp. The White Hawks won three sets to two.

On Oct. 5, the White Hawks hosted Southwest Christian. Budzius served at 100 percent, while Weaver had two aces, and Pearson had one. Richie and Weaver would have serve receive ratings above 2.0, allowing more options for the setter. Kreiser would lead the offense at the net with 14 kills and a kill percentage of .303.  Weaver and Budzius had 12 and 10 kills, respectively. M. Peglow had a good night at the net with seven kills and a hit percentage of .250. 

Defense at the net was strong with eight blocks, including two from senior Annika Weir. The back row was busy keeping balls in play;  Weaver had 19 digs, followed by Richie with 18 and Budzius with 10. Pearson had 35 assists for the night. Unfortunately, the White Hawks would fall in four sets, going 1-3 (25-18, 18-25, 22-25, 13-25).

The White Hawks play at home on Monday, Oct. 9 for Senior Night.  They will be on the road in Delano on on Tuesday, Oct. 10.