Be very afraid when Abby Marts gets this volleyball thing figured out
Winner sophomore Abby Marts throws down a kill in match earlier this season...Photo courtesy of Chloe Bartels.
By Rich Winter
The Region 7A volleyball tournament really gets going today with semifinal action, out west, with Pine Ridge hosting Red Cloud and Winner traveling to Little Wound to face the Lady Mustangs. Now, I'm a fan of all-around volleyball. I appreciate flat, knuckling serves, anticipatory digs, pretty sets....but show me the money, I'm there for the kills.
About a month ago I watched Winner sweep Todd County in straight sets. First and third games, Winner relied heavily on sophomore outside-hitter, Abby Marts. While the kills weren't monstrous, Marts, a lanky 6-footer was simply too big, too tall and too talented for anyone to do much about it.
Saw the Lady Warriors earlier this week in a straight set win over St. Francis and suddenly Marts's kills have an extra gear to them. Clearly, she's gotten better in the last four weeks. You like the size, and what appears to be a pretty good all-around game, but the biggest thing is ya gotta like the live arm. Much like basketball where ya can't teach height, in volleyball, you either have a live arm or ya don't.
Marts has that big swing and ya gotta like looking ahead to see what her game might develop into in the coming years. Noticed that Marts was named to the Big-Dakota honorable mention squad, while fellow sophomore, Alexis Richey was named to the first team.
All-Big Dakota Conference
Lauren Henderson, Mobridge/Pollock; Samantha Good Shield, Mobridge/Pollock; Geneva Wollman, Mobridge/Pollock; Kadye Fernholz, Miller; Shaly Werdel, Miller; Alexis Richey, Winner; Andi Drageset, Stanley County; Jennifer Sweetman, Stanley County; Sal Jewett, Cheyenne Eagle Butte; Talyn Carry Moccasin, McLaughlin; Taylor Sharping, Chamberlain; Love Hill, Todd County
Honorable Mention
Abby Marts, Winner; Haylee Langdeau, Crow Creek; Karly Beckett, Miller; Alberta Miner, Cheyenne Eagle Butte; Paige Reuer, Chamberlain; Tariq Brown Otter, McLaughlin; Kalli Deal, Stanley County.
Nice to see Rachel Sherman in the lineup:
Rachel Sherman with the kill vs. St. Francis.
Been kind of an up and down year for Winner at 11-17 on the season, but ya gotta think Winner senior, Rachel Sherman is enjoying every second. After injuring the knee late in the volleyball season her junior year, Sherman missed the run to the state championship game in basketball while recovering from said injury.
Despite wearing a bulky knee brace, Sherman seemed to offer a real defensive presence at the net, everytime St. Francis made any kind of run.
Don't know a lot about Little Wound but the Lady Mustangs come into this afternoon's game with a 14-12 record and a dominant win over Todd County in the first round of Region play.
