Honkers on their way to State B volleyball

Well-balanced Kenmare team takes
Region 6 championship

By Caroline Downs

The sport of volleyball has changed since the 1999-2000 season, when KHS head coach Tim Wallstrum last took a team to the state Class B tournament.

The game is played to 25 points now instead of 15. Points are scored on each serve, and a libero player wearing a different colored jersey can dash on and off the court to play the back row without going through the formal substitution process.

Some elements remain the same, however, like the pride that comes with winning a regional championship to qualify for the state event.

And the hard work that goes into earning that title.

Wallstrum compared the difficulty of winning the championship to facing a glass barrier that cannot be shattered. "We’ve played in the regional championship 10 times in the last 18 years," he said. "We’d get to the championship game, but we couldn’t quite break through."

The Region 6 championship match played November 7th was all about Kenmare breaking through. With lingering memories of last year’s title match against Bottineau, when Kenmare led 2-0 only to lose three tight games in a row, the Honkers returned to the championship round last week and swept Our Redeemer’s Christian School 3-0.

The two teams had four previous meetings from the season, with Kenmare losing one time by a score of 2-3. The Knights and Honkers played each other for the District 12 championship a week earlier, with Kenmare holding the District 12 plaque after four close games.

This time, the Honkers claimed the win with game scores of 25-19, 25-12 and 25-23.

Wallstrum credited the victory to his team’s serving ability in the match. "The serve and serve reception are the most important things in our game," he said. "We served 98 percent against Our Redeemer’s that night. When we’re able to serve well, we get those return balls and we’re able to set it and pound it back at them."

Keri Nelson led the team in kills with 11, followed by Cassie Reid with 5, Steph Barnhart 5, Kendra Miller 5, Kaleen Schmit 2 and Kaitlyn Nelson 1.

Kendra Miller logged 21 assists for the match.

From the service line, Kelsey Miller and Kaitlyn Nelson fired 2 apiece, while Kendra Miller and Keri Nelson each had 1.

Keri Nelson had 5 blocks for the night, while Schmit had 3, Barnhart 2 and Reid 1.

From the back row, Kaitlyn Nelson came up with 11 digs, Schmit 9, Kendra Miller 8, Reid 8, Kelsey Miller 5, Barnhart 3 and Keri Nelson 2.

In recognition of their efforts, Keri Nelson, Kaitlyn Nelson and Steph Barnhart were named to the All-Region 6 team.

They were joined by Brittany Jacobsen, Courtney Jacobsen and Tia Schuster of ORCS; Courtney Hahn, Maribeth Geiszler and Abbey Aide of Bottineau; Sarah Fegley and Holly Hassler of Bishop Ryan; and Amber Ahman of Des Lacs-Burlington.

Wallstrum was named the Region 6 Coach of the Year. His record to date with the Honkers is 484-187.

Cassie Reid and Kaitlyn Nelson, who serve as co-captains for Kenmare, said the team felt pretty terrific about their regional win. "We work together pretty good as a team," Nelson said.

The regional win means the Honkers will face Edgeley-Kulm Thursday in the opening round of the state Class B tournament.

Word about a 6’1" player for Edgeley-Kulm and her 5’7" teammate who can out-jump nearly everyone on the court has already reached Kenmare, but Nelson said her team wasn’t worried. "I think we’ll be okay," she said, glancing around at her teammates and nodding. "We’ve got big blockers. They know what to do."

Wallstrum was still shaking his head last week at the idea of his team taking the floor at the state contest. "I start four sophomores, a junior and two seniors," he said. "That’s pretty young."

He said he couldn’t really compare this team to his previous state tournament teams because of changes in the game. "And volleyball has advanced so much," he said. "The general level of volleyball [in the state] has gone up so much."

However, he did say the current squad is the best blocking team Kenmare has had. "That just makes everything flow," he said. "Even when they don’t stop the hit, they channel where the ball goes to the defensive players."

He described the Honkers as well-balanced. "There’s not a weak player on the team," he said. "When they play together and rely on each other, they’re very good."

Wallstrum praised the girls for their willingness to step into new roles after graduating six senior starters last year, especially Kaitlyn Nelson who is a strong hitter but changed to the libero position at her coach’s request.

"She is such a good passer," Wallstrum said. "I asked her [to make the change] at the beginning of the year. I knew with the young girls, the thing we needed was someone who could pass. That was an important move for us."

He also noted the strong support from the rest of the players throughout the season. "We are deep on the bench," he said, adding that he felt confident when he sent someone in for a starter. "They’re a very focused group of girls. I tell them they have to enjoy this. You don’t get these chances very often!"

Kenmare fans shouldn’t notice any changes in the team’s strategy at the state tournament. "They’ll see the same thing we’ve been doing all year," Wallstrum said, laughing. "We’re going to play our ballgame."

He said the Edgeley-Kulm match in the first round should be interesting because E-K was rated fourth in their district before the post-season. "They weren’t really expected to come out of their region," he said, "but they’ve turned it around and played very well in the tournaments."

The winner will face the winner of the Langdon-Dickinson Trinity match in semi-finals on Friday. Kenmare defeated Langdon 2-0 at the Des Lacs-Burlington Invitational in early October. Dickinson Trinity didn’t even advance to the championship round in that event.

On the other side of the state bracket, Hillsboro opens against Flasher and Lisbon faces Tioga Thursday, with the winners of those two matches playing in semi-finals on Friday.

Wallstrum described the letdown that can happen at a state tournament when a team has focused primarily on getting there, and not on the matches still to be played. He believes the Honkers will avoid that type of thinking.

"At the beginning of the year, we had a lot of work cut out for us," he said. "But this team, they don’t just want to ‘get there.’ They want to get there and get something out of it."

What Nelson and Reid would like to see at the state tournament is a sea of maroon and gold in the stands when the Honkers take the court. "We play a lot better when there’s support, when there’s a lot of fans there," Nelson said. "That gives us energy."

"It’s a lot easier to play when it’s loud," Reid added.

"It’ll be a good match, so everyone should come," Nelson said.

Wallstrum agreed the team would play better in front of their hometown fans. "They’re hams," he said, laughing again. "This group is more laid back than some other teams I’ve had. They need that extra fire. The louder [the crowd is], the happier those girls are!"

Kenmare’s opening match against Edgeley-Kulm is scheduled for Thursday, November 16th, at 2 pm in the Dome at Minot State University.