The York girls volleyball team was unable to overcome a tall task Tuesday in a Class 4A sectional semifinal at Addison Trail.
The third-seeded Dukes struggled to contain the overpowering spikes of Riverside-Brookfield’s 6-foot-8 senior Dana Rettke, losing to the second-seeded Bulldogs 25-22, 25-21.
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The Dukes (26-13) had strong starts in both games but had a tough time generating sustained runs.
“We didn’t stick with our game plan most of the night, and we didn’t serve well,” York coach Patty Iverson said. “We had four or five misses in the first set, and you can’t have that.”
Rettke, a Wisconsin recruit, had 19 kills for the Bulldogs (31-7) and had stretches where she scored three to five points in a row.
“(Rettke) is a great player, and we had some good blocks against her, but it’s a hard thing to do,” Iverson said.
Senior outside hitter Kristie Paus had five kills for the Dukes, and senior hitter Sydney Bonthron had seven kills in the loss. The Dukes struggled in the absence of junior libero Alex Danciutiu, who left with an injury.
“We didn’t really prepare for that kind of situation where we didn’t have a libero, but credit to the girls for showing some toughness,” Iverson said.
The Dukes enter the offseason losing seniors Paus, Bonthron, and setter Sarah Rose, a Marquette recruit.
Junior hitter Molly Evans, who had six kills in the loss, will be among the many returning players expected to raise their game.
“I think by the end of the season we were playing really well, and we’re really hungry to win,” Evans said. “A lot of us are returning, and I think that’s going to fuel us to come back.”
Iverson, who said she hadn’t known what to expect after losing many players from the 2015 season, found this year’s squad to be a strong unit.
“We’re a team,” she said. “We don’t rely on just one or two players. We try and spread the wealth as much as we can. We had a really productive season, and everyone really worked hard for each other.”
Chris Vavra is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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