Madison competed in volleyball action Thursday night against host Stanton and Clarkson. In their opening match versus Stanton, the home team jumped out to early leads and held off any idea of any attempts for the Dragons to rally, winning by identical 25-7 scores.
Madison coach Dean Mortland kept his players positive and encouraged them from the sidelines.
“Positivity by me and the players goes a long way to making things successful. This team has come so far since we first met this summer,” he said. “I’m so proud of the strides they’ve made and the improvements they are making. We’ve improved by leaps and bounds.”
In their final match of the evening, the Dragons took on an impressive squad from Clarkson.
Clarkson came out on fire and with an aggressive array of both serving and hitting took a 25-1 victory over the Dragons. Madison gave an impressive response in the second set and battled to the very end.
The young Dragons showed a lot of promise. When they were able to play in the system, sophomore Sophie Cienfuegos was able to put down some impressive spikes.
“One of our biggest challenges so far has been having them keep their chins up. They need to believe in themselves and their abilities,” Mortland said. “We just need to continue working and improving like we have been doing.”
The Dragons will be looking for their first win of the season as they fall to 0-4 when they play in a triangular against Cedar Bluffs and Winnebago on Saturday, Sept. 5.
