by Carrie Moritz, Gazette
On Thursday, November 9, the Garretson Blue Dragons volleyball team took on the Madison Bulldogs for the Region 3A Semifinal in Harrisburg. The Lady Dragons served up a feast of wins, taking Madison down in 3 sets.
Madison started the game with a solid serve, which was countered by a dig from Lily Ranschau. Kaylin Koch finished the play with a kill that landed solidly in the middle of the Bulldogs' court, garnering the first point for the team.
The two opponents then passed the ball back and forth and crept up the scoreboard, with Garretson pulling ahead while holding Madison to 6 points. Their confidence and communication skills on point, the Lady Dragons continued widening the gap. Madison couldn't find any weaknesses among the Garretson team, while the Dragons continued to exploit theirs. Koch found a consistent opening in the middle of the Bulldogs' court, placing kill after kill. Garretson soon had 22 points to Madison's 9.
With the set point looming, Madison took back the ball and gathered some more points to remind the Dragons they were still in play. However, it didn't stop the momentum and the Lady Dragons took the set 25-12.
In the second set, Lily Ranschau started off with a solid return to take the first point. After letting the Dragons tick off the first few points, the Bulldogs took back the ball and grabbed the lead, finally finding some weaknesses in the Dragon's play. However, they were unable to widen the gap, and Garretson tied the game back up 7-7.
The Lady Dragons refused to let go after that, pulling ahead and keeping a 4-point lead to 13-9. After Koch again found the center-court weakness on a kill, libero Lexi Gawarecki claimed the ball and threw the Bulldogs for a loop, gathering 5 more points before an out-of-bounds serve.
Madison took the opportunity to rack up more points, hitting 15 to Garretson's 19 before Koch once more hit the center court. With the game still in play, Logan Bly took up the serve and Jaelyn Benson's assists allowed her teammates to again put the Bulldogs off their game.
The Dragons gave back the ball to Madison at their set point, but a block by Anna Jones ended the set 25-17.
The semifinal game then moved into the third set, and gave the Bulldogs the first point on a kill by Koch that went out-of-bounds. A technicality meant a point for Garretson and the ball went back to Benson for the serve.
Just like set one, the two opponents traded the ball back and forth. With the game 5-5, Alli Gawarecki got ahold of the ball, and like her twin, took the Dragons on a point run. Now 8-5, the Bulldogs took back the ball on a technicality but couldn't quite catch up.
The Dragons continued to play hardball. Madison came within one point of tying again at 9 points to Garretson's 10, but the team pulled back together and started a new run, widening the gap that Madison couldn't quite close.
Now 20-12, the Dragons allowed a ball to hit the floor just inside the out-of-bounds line, allowing Madison to try again to serve up some points. They didn't get far. The Lady Dragons crept up to 22 and while the Bulldogs made it to 16, when L. Gawarecki again hit the serving line and showed the Bulldogs what the Dragons are made of. A final assist by Benson and kill by Bly ended the set and the game 25-16.
Now a member of the SoDak 16, the Lady Dragons traveled to Madison on Tuesday to take on the Redfield Pheasants. The winner of that game heads to Rapid City to take part in the State Tournament November 18-20.
