Indians show signs of growth in loss

Seniors Reese Bradley and Lexi Puev are the only returning starters. Classmate Ellie Beveridge is the only other player on the roster with significant varsity experience.

Hokanson knows there are going to be growing pains. Such was the case Saturday afternoon during a 25-17, 30-28 loss to Thunder Basin.

“I thought our kids played well, and got better throughout the match,” Hokanson said. “As time progresses, we’re going to keep getting better. I’m sure of it.

“What we lacked in terms of keeping momentum, we made up for it in hustle, effort and making some big plays.”

The Lady Indians fell behind early in the first game before Thunder Basin – which was the 2019 state runner-up – pulled ahead by as much as 11 points. Sophomore Joelie Spelts gave the Bolts a 22-11 lead when she recorded a kill on her third consecutive hit attempt. Central overpassed the first two blasts before Spelts found the floor on the third.

The Indians used a 6-1 run to cut the lead to 23-17 before senior Brooke Conklin and sophomore Brooke Carroll scored points to give Thunder Basin the 25-17 win.

The second game was a much different story for Central. It fell behind 3-0 before using a 5-1 run to take the lead. The game was tied 12 more times, despite the Indians forging ahead by as much as 17-12.

The Bolts outscored Central 6-1 to knot the score 18-18. The Indians got the lead back to two points twice more before senior Katie Hladky tied the score 21-21 with an ace serve.

Conklin gave Thunder Basin a 24-23 lead by driving home a kill. The lead changed hands two more times before the Bolts hung on for a 30-28 win.

The Indians’ marked improvement between the first and second games of the match was encouraging, Puev said.

“We are learning as we go, and I thought this went really well considering we haven’t had many opportunities to play all together,” she said. “We had good energy and a lot of excitement, and were really united like a tribe.

“We have a lot of new girls, and we needed to get our nerves out of the way in the first game. They needed to get some experience and realize varsity wasn’t as big of a deal as it might seem.”

Puev finished with five kills, while Bradley added six. Junior setter Emma Peel dished out seven assists, while freshman Autumn Kotunok added six. Junior Lydia Looby posted 11 digs.

Central served at an 87.8% clip as a team.

Hokanson has tinkered with lineups throughout the first two weeks of practice in order to find one that clicks. Saturday’s match gave her a rotation she feels strongly about.

“We’ve been trying to test some things, see some things and find out where we’re at,” she said. “Now, we know who we need to play and get to jell better.”

Campbell County 2 Cheyenne Central 0

Bradley posted a team-high four kills and three digs during the Indians’ 25-20, 25-23 loss to Campbell County. Gracie Kniss added three kills. Kotunok dished out a team-best seven assists.