V-Hawks Finish at Top in Volleyball Tournament

The true strength of a team is best seen at its most vulnerable moment. When one point stands between them and the game, you see how they come together to deal with it. The Viterbo women’s volleyball team held together strong through every point and took first place in their hosted Holiday Inn Express tournament held September 7 and 8.

The V-Hawks opened their tournament play Friday night at 7:00 p.m. against Williams Wood University. They dropped the first set 23 to 25, and then rallied back to take the next three. Lauryn Sobasky had a career high 30 assists during the match. When asked what she had been doing differently, Sobasky shared, “I have been going to practice early with our other setter, Chloe, and getting in extra repetitions every day. I believe it has helped me become a better setter and be more confident,”.

Saturday morning play began for them at 11:00 a.m. against Saint Xavier University. Again, Viterbo lost the first set, and came back to take the match three to one. Lydia Xu led the team against the Saint Xavier Cougars with 13 kills and 9 blocks in the match.

The V-Hawks finished the tournament strong by sweeping the Trinity Christian College Trolls in three sets. Again, Xu led the team with 10 kills during the match. The team placed first in the tournament and placed two of their members on the all-tournament team, Lydia Xu and Aubrey Aspen.

“It was a pleasant surprise [making the all-tournament team]. I didn’t find out about it until Monday at practice. Honestly, as a middle I’m almost useless as a player, unless I get a pass and a set, so I have to give credit to my teammates,” explained Aspen.

The team has a respectable amount of returning players this year. However, many are playing in new positions. Chloe Jakscht was previously a defensive specialist, but this year made the move to a setter. Rachel Frankowski also moved from a defensive specialist and is now a libero.

While everyone on the team has their own daily goals, the team also has them. Some of those goals are short-term, such as winning the Coulee Cup and winning conference. Ultimately, the team aims to make it to bracket play at nationals, and then play in the championship. They will take it one goal at a time.