Seymour sweeps Ashwaubenon Thunder out to 10-4 start

By Rich Palzewic
Correspondent
ASHWAUBENON – The Seymour girls’ volleyball team traveled to Ashwaubenon on Sept. 20, for a nonconference tilt.

The Thunder made quick work of the Jaguars in a 25-17, 25-15, 25-19 sweep.

“It was a nice win for us,” Seymour coach Amber Thompson said. “We came out strong and played well in the first two games but lost it (at the start of) the third game. We’ve been working on that. We are a young team, but we’ve been playing better as of late.”

After winning the first two sets, the Thunder (10-4) trailed 10-1 to start the third set before mounting its comeback.

Still trailing 16-13 in the third set, Seymour closed things out with a 12-3 run.

“The way we came back and won that third game with the way we started was big,” Thompson said.
The Thunder, who Thompson said are “very young,” were led at the net by junior Hazel Cook.

“Hazel is one of our top hitters and played well tonight,” Thompson said. “She’s one of our leaders, and the girls look up to her.”

Cook said her team is starting to mesh nicely.

“We could have played better — especially in the third set — but we pulled it out in the end,” she said. “Overall, it was a good game.”

Cook said college volleyball is on her radar.

“I’d love to go Division I, but I’d take any division,” she laughed.

Ashwaubenon (3-13) scored the first point of the match and then didn’t lead again until beginning the third set on a 6-0 run.

“Our youth and inexperience showed tonight,” Ashwaubenon coach Jim Swim said. “We only have a couple of girls on this team who have varsity experience. We don’t have a lot of players who play 12 months a year, so it’s been a learning curve for us.”

In a back-and-forth first set, the Thunder led 16-13 before ending with a 9-4 spurt.

Leading 8-7 in the second set, Seymour scored 11 of the next 13 points to go up 19-9 and coasted from there.

It wasn’t until the third set the Jaguars got some momentum and had the Thunder on the ropes.

“Seymour is a solid team,” Swim said. “We are making strides and being more competitive — it was a tough night of volleyball.”

Swim said his girls have shown glimpses of being good.

“We beat Bay Port in the first set (Sept. 14),” he said. “We won 26-24 after facing two set points. We’re getting better. At times, we look like a volleyball team that knows what they’re doing — we just have to be more consistent.”

Ashwaubenon finished 2-26 last season and didn’t win a Fox River Classic Conference game.
Swim said that’s the goal coming up.

“I think we can win some conference games,” he said. “It’s needed for the program.”