By Travis Smola
The Vicksburg Lady Bulldogs volleyball team has faced some high-quality opponents this season, but still finds themselves right in the thick of things in the Wolverine Conference with a 12-11-1 record.
“It’s probably been our toughest schedule since I’ve been at Vicksburg,” head coach Katrina Miller said before the girls faced off against Dowagiac on the road. The Lady Bulldogs swept the Chieftains in three straight games, but it wasn’t an easy task.
Dowagiac fought back and kept things close in the second and third games before the Lady Bulldogs clamped things down defensively. In the third game especially, many of the girls made incredible diving saves to kill any chance of a Chieftain comeback.
Defense has been the strong point of a Lady Bulldog team Miller says is bolstered by the leadership of the seven seniors in Kellie Goole, Carlie Kudary, Kendal Hall, Shaidan Knapp, Ashton Bjork, Grace Welch and Amy Kosiba.
Not that the younger players haven’t contributed too. Miller noted junior libero Morgan Preston has already signed on to play Division 2 volleyball at Angelo State University in Texas in a few years. True to the position she plays, Preston has been an extremely versatile player.
“I know she’s the best libero in our conference,” Miller said.
The victory over Dowagiac came just a few days after the Lady Bulldogs picked up a fourth place finish at the Portage Northern Invitational Tournament. While their record may be just one over the .500 mark, Miller noted that more tournaments and a tough conference haven’t made things easy.
But the girls have worked hard to earn every win and the Lady Bulldogs are in a good spot going into the later part of the season.
“It’s such a close conference,” Miller said. “It’s going to be interesting.”