Teri Tune
Sports Scene
With a stout defense and a hard-hitting group of spikers on offense, the Pewamo-Westphalia volleyball team has been flying high this season.
At press time, the Pirates volleyball team is undefeated in the CMAC with only one more conference game to play, and coach Megan Miller couldn’t be prouder of her team.
“I’m very proud of them,” Miller said. “We played very well against Fulton, who was also unbeaten. Some nights I watch them play and feel that we look pretty good out there, and that was one of those nights. The team I watched beat Fulton was a team that could win state, and that was great to see.”
Junior setter Allison Martin dished out 38 assists against Fulton to lead her team to the 25-12,25-18,25-23 win. Leading the way on the defense for the Pirates were Candace Martin and Kasey Schmitt, who each had 17 digs, and Madison Smith, who earned three blocks to go with her team-high 12 kills.
The Pirates then went on to face the Bath Bees, whom they defeated 25-23,25-21,25-16, but coach Miller admits they didn’t play their best.
“Overall, our conference has gotten a lot better and every game is a battle,” Miller said. “Five years ago, we could go into a game with a certain team and know we would win in three. Now those same teams are taking games from us. We didn’t play our best tonight, but we played good enough to get the win.
“I think after beating Fulton, the girls just got a little overconfident going into the game against Bath. The last couple of years, we have been just a little too confident going into tournaments, and it has came back to bite us in the butt, so we need to be on top of our game at each and every game.”
Coach Miller says the key to their success this season is experience.
“We have a really solid group of girls,” Miller said. “They are all juniors with only one senior, but they all played together last year as sophomores, and with that year of experience already behind them, they know just what to do and what their teammates are going to do.”
Leading the team this year is junior hitter Madison Smith.
“She is putting up some incredible numbers this year,” Miller said. “Most all-state players are averaging two to five kills a game and she is averaging 4.3 kills and 3.1 digs per game, so she is at the top of those numbers.”
Smith is quick to credit her teammates for her success.
“We have great team chemistry, and everybody helps each other and allows me to have numbers like that,” Smith said. “We’ve played together so much that it helps us be a better team. We know when we need to step in and be firm to help someone out or to go soft.”
One of Smith’s personal goals is to make first team all-conference, and she is well on her way to that.
Something else coach Miller says about her team is that it consists of great kids.
“Usually by this time in the season there is a bunch of drama on the team about who’s playing and who’s not,” Miller said. “I don’t have that with these girls. They are just a bunch of great kids personally, athletically, and academically. I’m having a great season with these girls and expect us to go far into the post season. They are all coming back next year except for one, so our team should be strong not only this post season, but next year’s also.”