The Hauser volleyball team huddles before the Class 2A regional semifinal against Linton-Stockton at Mitchell High School.
Dylan Wallace | For The Republic
By Dylan Wallace
For The Republic
MITCHELL — Hauser volleyball coach Jeff Case said anyone who watched Saturday’s regional semifinal against Linton-Stockton knows it wasn’t the Jets’ best performance.
Hauser had moments, but it could never put together enough pressure on the Miners, who advanced to the regional championship match against Brownstown Central with a 25-18, 25-16, 25-18 victory.
“They have a lot of size. We talked about it all week, but really it, was us,” Case said. “We didn’t put enough pressure on them to get them out of their comfort zone. Hats off to them — they did exactly what they needed to do, and they’re very well-coached. Anybody that was here watching knows this wasn’t our best game.”
In the first set, two straight aces by Audrianna Hale gave Linton a 13-6 lead, and Case called timeout. The set ended after the Jets had a service error.
In both the second and third sets, Hauser had good starts. The Jets were up 4-0, 8-7 and 10-8 in the second set. Tied at 11-11, the Miners won 10 of the next 11 points to take a 21-12 lead. It was another Hauser service error that resulted in set point for Linton.
The start of the third set was perhaps the best stretch of volleyball Hauser had. An ace from Mattie Foster gave the team a 7-1 lead and had the Jets faithful loud and on their feet. But the Miners were able to slowly close the gap, and once Linton took a 16-13 lead it was able to close out the match.
Hauser’s Adrianna Musillami sets the ball against Linton-Stockton during the Class 2A regional semifinal at Mitchell High School.
Dylan Wallace | For The Republic
Despite losing 3-0, Case was pleased his team kept battling.
“Really proud of the girls for not checking out emotionally and continuing to battle,” he said. “It’d be really easy to get down on yourselves. We didn’t have our best game today for whatever reason. We needed a little better ball control and just better decision making. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves with unforced errors. I’m really proud on how they continued to stay together as a team, keep talking and just battling all the way to the last point.”
Hauser’s Kenze Bostic goes on the attack against Linton-Stockton during the Class 2A regional semifinal at Mitchell High School.
Dylan Wallace | For The Republic
Foster had two aces in the match. Kenze Bostic pounded nine kills, Charlie Clark added five kills and Aniston Bostic had two kills.
Adrianna Musillami recorded 15 assists and Paige McDaniel had one assist. Clark notched 13 digs, Musillami had nine digs and Kyra Meister added eight digs.
Hauser’s Kyra Meister receives a serve against Linton-Stockton during the Class 2A regional semifinal at Mitchell High School.
Dylan Wallace | For The Republic
Musillami, Meister and Clark were the three seniors on the roster. Case said he’s been coaching them longer than just the four years they’ve been at Hauser, and the Jets program will miss their contributions.
“Just massive their impact on the program. Been around them for a long time and their parents. Just great kids, they gave it everything they‘ve got, and I’m super proud of them,” Case said. “Every year, it’s weird when your seniors are gone, but definitely, will be different next year without those three.”
Hauser finished this season 24-11, and Case hopes the experience of playing in the regional will help the returning players for next season.
“I hope so,” he said. “You hope it pays off. I think we have a lot of potential next year. Hopefully we can put it together.”
