Greendale outlasts Vikings in volleyball match

Greendale - One of the goals this season for Greendale's girls volleyball team is to remain composed under pressure.

The Panthers certainly did that on Sept. 6, when they held together and pulled out a thrilling 25-23, 19-25, 25-19, 26-28, 15-10 victory over New Berlin West.

Greendale improved to 3-0 in Woodland Conference play with the tough triumph.

"This was a huge win for us," said first-year head coach Katie Matel. "In going to five games, this match had many stressful and pressure-filled situations. The players were able to stay composed and make smart decisions on the court to pull off the win."

Shawn Hotson totaled 15 kills, while Alyssa Docter, Stephanie Kramer and Brittany Seidcheck all contributed five blocks and Lauren Litzau two aces and 14 kills.

The Panthers' defense played a key role.

"They (the Vikings) have some very strong hitters," Matel said, "but we were able to dig up a lot of their hits. Abbie Scheidt had 34 digs and Olivia Surita 40 digs. They were our main defensive leaders.

"Their anticipation of where the ball was going was almost unreal."

Matel also praised the "court sense" of the Panthers, saying, "We should always know where each player of the opposing team is on the court, and we did very well at this, which gave us opportunities to get some key kills."

Greendale also downed Wauwatosa West, 25-20, 25-23, 25-13, on Sept. 4 behind nine kills from Hotson, nine assists and eight aces by Litzau, 13 digs from Surita and two blocks apiece by Taylor DeLong and Seidcheck.

The Panthers have some key Woodland duals coming up, including at Pius XI at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 13 and at New Berlin Eisenhower at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 18.