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“On Saturday at the Brodhead tournament, we decided to have several players switch positions and changed our offense a bit. While we did not win in the morning pool play, several coaches mentioned that we were playing better since they last saw us,” stated Head Coach Jill Haag. “By the afternoon, the players had settled into their new positions, and we were able to win both matches and finish the day as the bronze bracket champions, mostly due to the blocking and aggressive hitting from our middles, Lauren O’Connor and Krista Diaz.”

The Wildcats lost to Argyle (17-25, 16-25) and Evansville (14-25, 14-25) on Saturday morning at the Brodhead tournament.

After seeding, they defeated Albany (25-17, 25-20) and Juda (24-26, 26-24, 15-3) in the afternoon.

Team leaders for the tournament included: Alli Kowalski with five aces and 27 assists; Lucy Grady with four aces and 25 assists; Grace Schulting with 50 digs and 12 kills; Ryley Helwig with 38 digs; Lauren O’Connor with six blocks and 15 kills; Krista Diaz with three blocks and 18 kills; and Mikayla Cann with 12 kills.

Earlier that week on Thursday, September 10, the Wildcats lost on the road to Cambridge (11-25, 20-25, 11-25).

Grady had one ace and six assists; Helwig accumulated 14 digs; O’Connor tallied two blocks; and Schulting amassed seven kills.

“We had another tough loss to Cambridge in conference play. We realize that our passing and blocking need to improve in order to stay competitive in these matches,” explained Haag. “The girls continue to keep positive attitudes and are enjoying their tome together while working as a team to improve each day.”

On Tuesday, September 8, Belleville lost a home match to Waterloo (17-25, 13-25, 10-25).

Schulting earned four kills, one ace, and nine digs; O’Connor had three blocks; Grady tallied four assists, and Helwig totaled nine digs.