Lady Wolves win 2, lock in a spot at State tourney

The Green River High School Lady Wolves volleyball team won both of their games this weekend, making them the No.2 seed in the west and clinching them a spot at state.

This past weekend, the Lady Wolves played Jackson in Jackson and Evanston at home.

The team beat Jackson in three sets, 25-18, 25-13, 25-11 and Evanston in four sets, 25-14, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22.

"Those two wins secured our spot in the state tournament. We will be the No. 2 seed in our conference and won't have play this Friday," head coach Rikki Shantz said.

During the Jackson game, the Lady Wolves did a good job at keeping their energy and focus high, she said. However, the defense started a little low.

"Jackson is a team that is easy get a little too relaxed on," Shantz said.

The team will continue to work on playing their good volleyball no matter who the team is they are playing.

Shantz said prior to the Evanston game, she was a little concerned.

"We wanted to come out with a lot of energy. We know this opponent well and kinda knew what to expect," Shantz said. "Getting home from Jackson the night before at 12:30 a.m. had me worried about our energy, but it didn't seem to be a problem." 

Once again, the crowd didn't disappoint the team during their home game against Evanston Friday.

"It's always great to play at home. We even had a really nice crowd. Mostly parents, but we had some students in the student section, which is really great for a Saturday evening game," Shantz said. "We always appreciate all the support."

The Lady Wolves' blocking came together for them against Evanston, but they defense struggled a little bit.

"Back row defense fell asleep a little bit because our block was so dominate. When Evanston started hitting around our block, we weren't quite ready for it," Shantz said. "We did adjust quickly."

Each week, coach Shantz has a list of things the Lady Wolves need to work on and this week with regionals in sight is no different.

"We will be breaking down some of the little things this week and also playing six-on-six a lot," she said.

The team will travel to Natrona County this weekend for regionals, however, getting the No. 2 seed spot is a great benefit.

"Because we finished in the top 2 in the conference we do not have to play on Friday," Shantz said. "We will match up with the No. 1 team coming out of Friday play."

The team is scheduled to play Saturday at noon. That game will either put them into the championship game or the third and fourth place game. 

"We will be seeded in the State tournament by how we do this weekend," Shantz said.