LAKOTA — The Benson County Wildcats are still trying to find their top form after graduating all-state hitter Aubrey Kenner.
But they sure came close on Monday.
“We’re slowly but surely getting it,” junior setter Liberty Streyle said. “It was definitely hard with Aubrey coming off because she was such a a strong all-around player. But we’re really working to fill that spot with our two new outsides and our new positions. And I think that’s a really special thing for us all to be meshing on the court like that.”
Benson County (13-2, 4-0) won its fourth consecutive match, sweeping Nelson County (5-3, 1-1) in a battle of the counties at Lakota Community Center.
“They looked like they had fun. That was huge,” Benson County head coach Sheri Stuberg said. “We were struggling for a little bit not having fun on the court. It looked like it was a job, and we didn’t want to go. The last few games have been fun, and a lot of energy.”
The Wildcats opened with a 25-13 win before notching back-to-back 25-7 victories.
“I thought it was a very clean game, and we haven’t played like that all season, I feel like,” Streyle said. “And we just really meshed together as a team. So I thought that was pretty cool.”
No singular hitter led the Wildcats on Monday.
Instead, they shared the wealth, commandeered by Streyle with her assists and constant movement around the court.
“In practice, especially, we’ve been talking about spreading our balls around the court, and I think that really came into play tonight,” Streyle said. “Regardless of the mistakes we made, we still did it, and I think that’s a huge thing, especially going forward in our season.”
Streyle already surpassed 2,000 career assists as a sophomore. She, like her middle hitter Lacie Fautsch, is now an upperclassman.
Streyle had nearly 1,000 assists last season alone.
“I can say I work in the offseason, but it’s really all to my teammates,” Streyle said. “You can’t get assists without getting passes, and you can’t get assists without getting kills.”
Stuberg said the team was aiming for a versatile attack.
“We’re working on that. That’s one of our goals, is to make everybody a swinger,” she said. “That’s a really hard game to defend against.”
Junior Hailey Baker had four kills unofficially — three of which came in the first set. The Wildcats went on an 8-0 run to take a 12-4 lead, a stretch that included a dump set by Streyle.
Sophomore Sydney Anderson had two kills in the set to help keep the Chargers in it, but Benson County went on a late 6-0 run to put it away.
Junior middle hitter Brylee Stuberg was in on the action, too, leading Benson County with three kills and a block in the second set. The Wildcats had a 9-0 run capped by three consecutive aces from Kaitlyn Maddock, who tallied four unofficially on the night.
Up to this point, the powerful Fautsch had been quiet in the kills column. Nelson County had defended her hits well in the first set. But Fautsch came alive late in the second set, recording the final two kills of a 5-0 run to complete the set.
Fautsch came out early in the third set with some thunderous balls, winning Benson County’s first two points with kills. After not recording any kills in the first set, she finished the match with a team-high eight unofficially — six in the third set.
“Anything with her is she’s gonna come back big,” Stuberg said. “So even if she’s a little quieter when she comes [out], she’s gonna be a force to reckon with. And you know she’s there. And she’ll put down a really solid kill or a really big block. It’ll be a really important time.”
Junior outside hitter Addisyn Faul had three kills in the third set to finish second on the team with seven unofficially. Nelson County hung around early in the third set, down only 9-6 after Anderson’s third kill. Benson County went on to win 16 of the final 17 points, including a 10-0 run to end it.
The Wildcats also served it well all night, not just from aces but from line drives with pace that got the Chargers off balance. Streyle contributed to that effort with several bullets from the service line.
“[Streyle’s] serves are by far one of the meanest serves I’ve seen. And I wouldn’t want to serve-receive those, that’s for sure,” Stuberg said. “Each year, they’re improving. … Our girls are working on their serves. They’re putting the time in.”
Streyle said she’s made a point to improve her serves over the years.
“I wasn’t a very good server to begin with,” she said. “And I kind of took that to heart and worked for it.”
Streyle, a reigning all-region selection, is primed for her biggest season yet after years of sharpening her game.
“I started pretty young, and I just found a love for the game. And I really worked for it,” she said. “And it’s nice to be out there with my best friends, too. That really makes it easy for me.”
This was the fourth of nine regular-season district matches for the Wildcats. It came ahead of Tuesday’s matchup with North Star, ranked No. 2 in the latest NDAPSSA poll. The Bearcats (15-3, 4-0) have a young and improving team, and they won their first 11 matches of the season.
“It’s gonna be a hard game, and I think if we work like we did tonight, it’ll be a good all-around turnout,” Streyle said. “So I’m excited.”
Benson County and North Star will duel Tuesday, Sept. 29 in Cando at roughly 7 p.m.
“I’m excited for a good game, a fast-paced game,” Stuberg said. “Their gym always has a lot of energy in it, so I think it’s gonna be just a fun game to be in. And a lot of energy, a lot of excitement. Big plays are gonna be made in that gym.”
With the middle of the season approaching, Stuberg likes the way her team is trending.
“We’ve had a little bit of a roller coaster,” she said. “And we’re waiting for our best volleyball to come out tournament time.”
Nelson County, meanwhile, goes to Fort Totten Tuesday to play Four Winds, then hosts North Prairie on Thursday.