RAPID CITY — The Miller Rustlers fell short in their bid for a Class ‘A’ title in 2017, dropping a tough 3-1 decision to the Madison Lady Bulldogs in the opening round of the Class “A” State volleyball tournament. Set scores were 25-17, 25-20, 19-25 and 25-22 for Madison, which goes to 25-5 with the win.
The Lady Bulldogs opened the match quickly, jumping out to an early lead and pulling away in the opening set.
Things improved for the Rustlers in the second set. Madison again opened up quickly, scoring four points before Miller got on the board. The Lady Bulldogs maintained a four-to-five point advantage in the match, before the Rustlers began chipping away.
A hitting error by the Lady Bulldogs pulled Miller within two points, at 19-17. But Madison responded with four straight points and persevered for the second set win.
The teams traded points in the early going of the third set, until a kill by Josi Stevens, who was filling in for an injured VonnaGail Schlechter, made it 8-5 for the Rustlers.
After a kill by Olivia Rud cut the margin to 8-7, the Lady Bulldogs self-destructed, missing badly with the next four swings and boosting the Rustlers to a 12-7 lead.
Photo:
Miller’s Rachel Oligmueller sets the ball as teammate Kassie Schaefers approaches the net during a match against Madison in the opening round of the Class A State Volleyball Tournament on Thursday at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City.
Photo courtesy of South Dakota Public Broadcasting