Red Hawks drop two to end regular season
The G-E-T volleyball team heads into the playoffs hoping to shake off a so-so end to their regular season that included losses to both Westby and Viroqua over the past week.
Though the Red Hawks (15-17, 4-8 Coulee) suffered those two losses, they did have cause for celebration this week when junior outside hitter Rylynn Simmons reached 500 kills for her career.
No. 7 seed G-E-T and No. 10 seed Arcadia square off in the opening round of the playoffs early this week, with the winner getting second-seeded Luther on Thursday in Onalaska at 7 p.m.
Westby 3 G-E-T 1
The Norsemen (16-15, 4-8) grabbed a 2-0 lead in the match and held on to win in four sets last Tuesday in Galesville.
The opening set was a marathon that required extra points to decide, with Westby eventually scratching out the 27-25 win. The Norsemen followed by taking the second set 25-17 to take full command of the match. Though G-E-T answered by eking out a 26-24 win in the third set, Westby emphatically won the fourth 25-14 to close out the match.
Rylynn Simmons led the way for the Red Hawks with 15 kills and 17 digs, while other key contributors included senior McKenna Schindler with 13 kills, sophomore Ally Burns with 11 kills, junior Taryn Leighty with 25 assists and four aces, freshman Liliana Pederson with 23 digs and junior Amelia Walz with 16 assists.
Viroqua 3 G-E-T 2
Up two sets to none, the Red Hawks looked primed to head into the playoffs on the heels of a win over one of the best teams in the Coulee Conference. Instead, they’ll need to try and shake off a frustrating five-set loss.
Viroqua (29-5, 8-4) rallied back to defeat G-E-T 19-25, 24-26, 25-13, 25-20, 15-7 this past Thursday in Galesville.
Simmons surpassed the 500-kill mark for her career early in the match and helped lead the way for the Red Hawks with 17 kills and 11 digs. Other leaders for G-E-T included junior Claire Baures with 14 kills, Schindler with 10 kills, Leighty with 26 assists and 12 digs, Pederson with 12 digs and Walz with 16 assists.
