Caesar Rodney volleyball topples Cape 3-1
The Cape volleyball squad’s hopes for a state tournament berth hit a bump in the road Oct. 21, with a 19-25, 25-18, 20-25 and 17-25 loss to visiting Caesar Rodney.
The Vikings fall to 6-7, while the Riders move to 10-3. Only 24 of the 56 Delaware teams make the DIAA state tournament.
The Lady Vikings were hounded by CR junior Alexandria Mardesich, who knocked down 21 kills for the Riders. She also bumped up 11 digs and served five aces.
The Vikings were led by senior Rileigh Wilson with 12 kills. Junior Megan Smith put up 25 assists, while Harlee Graulich bumped 15 digs and served three aces. Kali Lawson bumped 11 digs, while hitting six kills. Natalie Derrickson had five digs, three assists and two aces. Senior Hope Reed found her range at the net, knocking down four kills and roofing three blocks. Laurelee Mobius slammed six kills and garnered a block. Taylor Ockels scored two kills.
“While it’s a tough loss, I’m much happier with our performance, especially after [the last] match,” said Cape head coach Tyler Coupe. “I thought we did a much better job in serve-receive; we gave ourselves opportunities to challenge CR and score our own points. Our serving was arguably the most efficient it has been all season. I thought we were physical at the net defensively which allowed us the continued opportunity to transition into our offense. Our offense wasn’t able to keep up to the level of efficiency we needed.
“We weren’t terminal enough with our opportunities, and in the end, that’s what hurt us. With the tournament looming, we’re certainly in a holding pattern. We’re knocking on the door, but slip-ups this next week could be costly. The girls seem to be in a better mental state, and we as coaches are hoping that transitions into a successful last week and can carry us over into the post-season.”
“I know we tried our hardest,” said libero Harlee Graulich. “We had some errors on our serve when we forced the ball, but we pushed back on them.”
“It was a good loss, not a bad loss,” said Mobius, who had her best game of the season. “I think we had the momentum. I’m really proud of us on our serve. We switched up a little with short balls and deep balls and were able to target girls as best we can.”
The Vikings play Polytech on the road Tuesday, Oct. 26, and finish the regular season with Delaware Military Academy Thursday, Oct. 28, at home for Senior Night.
The Lady Vikings junior varsity team moved to 8-5 with a 2-1 victory over the JV Riders.
