The #6(2A) Dike-New Hartford volleyball team will look to rally for marquee conference upset in NICL-Central as they host #1(2A) Denver in a state semifinal rematch on Tuesday. The match that will air on 99 The Wave.
#6(2A) Dike New-Hartford (14-11, 3-0 NICL-Central) went 2-2 at Mount Vernon Fall Classic on Saturday, with wins(Iowa City High and Iowa City Liberty) and two losses (Pleasant Valley and #1(3A) Mount Vernon). Izzy Norton leads the Wolverines front line with 164 kills(fifth most in NICL-Central) and defensively Keely Kauten has stepped up, tied for the conference best in blocks with 46.
Senior Madde Buskohl on how the team has developed through a strong schedule
“One big thing I think we’ve grown a lot in is our serve receive. We kind of struggled with that summer and early season, but now I think we’re really making progress on that and really just executing on what we need to do,” says Buskohl. “Another one is hitters taking big swings on the ball. In the beginning we were kind of timid and just kind of going up to swing, not going up to get a kill and going up to force an error. I think we’re doing a really good job with all those kind of things.”
The Wolverines have competed in four different invites this year featuring ranked opponents from bigger classes.
#1(2A) Denver (31-1, 3-0 NICL-Central) won their home tournament going 5-0 on Saturday. The Cyclones have won 26 matches in a row. Junior setter Channing Johnson is second in Class 2A in assists with 715. Bailey Mullihan is the Cyclones top attacker with 289 kills.
The Wolverines won the last meeting 3-0 in the Class 2A state semifinal match last year in Coralville.
The match will air on 99 The Wave with coverage beginning at 7:20 p.m. followed by the first serve at 7:30 p.m. in Dike.
