Following Tuesday night's season-opening loss to Marshalltown, new head coach Beth Wilder's message to the Fort Dodge volleyball team was simple: Improve every day.
The Bobcats won by scores of 25-19, 26-24, 25-18.
“I told the players that we need to improve more in terms of mistakes.” “Volleyball is a sport that tests your mental toughness and your ability to make fewer mistakes,” said Wilder, who serves as co-head coach with Julie Astor.
“We made a lot of mistakes, but at the same time, we saw a lot of good things from them. What we need is more of those moments and fewer mistakes.”
Senior Meer McCaleb led the Dodgers with five kills and freshman Grace Nichols added four kills. Junior LJ Mahl and 12th-grader Brakstin Denklau each had three kills and senior Grace Behrens added two kills.
Lacey Larson, Ellie Doster and Marina Meyer each had two aces for Fort Dodge, while Mael also had three blocks.
“I felt like I didn't have much rhythm.” “It's the first fight so we've got to get our rotations right and if we keep working hard it will pay off,” Wilder said.
“As a coach, you're always learning, and in volleyball you have to because there are so many variables in the game.”
Marshalltown took control of the opening set by winning the first four points of the match, then rolled to leads of 9-3, 15-6 and 21-13 on their way to defeating the Dodgers. The second set was a similar affair, with the Bobcats leading by eight points before Fort Dodge rallied late to make a comeback.
McCaleb hit consecutive aces during a 5-1 run to tie the score at 23-23, but Marshalltown scored three of the final four points to take a 2-0 lead.
Doster's ace at the start of the third gave the Dodgers their first lead of the night, but five straight points by the Bobcats quickly erased that lead.
“Like I said, there was a flash.” Wilder said. “We just need to get better at it on a more regular basis.”
Marshalltown's win was its first over Fort Dodge in five meetings dating back to the 2021 season.
The Dodgers' next opponent is a tournament in Humboldt, where in addition to the host Wildcats and Fort Dodge, they will face South Central Calhoun, South Hardin and Carol Kuemper, with games starting at 9 a.m.
Fort Dodge JV2 won the set 25-23, 25-18 while JV1 lost 25-27, 25-15, 15-11.
The Dodgers freshman lost the fourth set, 21-18, 21-13, 21-19, 21-13.