It was momentum found mid-game that set the pace Thursday evening on Oelwein’s volleyball court in the crew’s second game, and win, of the season.
Oelwein (2-0) seemed to settle into a steady rhythm with the Central Elkader Warriors (2-3) in the first set, going point for point until a Warrior timeout to regroup followed a run of three from the Huskies. While the visitors matched that rally, it wasn’t enough to secure the win on the night in the 25-21, 25-12 and 25-16 sweep.
A kill off of senior Haydin Becker’s swing ended the first set 25-21, of which Becker laid down three in the rally. Oelwein’s front line kept up Becker’s defense with hitters Elzsie Fauser recording three kills and Kinzie See with four.
“We are getting time to now put things all together,†Husky head coach Emily Woods said. “We’ve had a lot of buildup in the preseason, so it’s really just nice to get in front of our home crowd and see these girls play together, work together and get that time.â€
A home-field advantage may have been what the girls needed for that boost of confidence early in their 2025-26 season. Last time the girls faced the Warriors in Midland the Huskies won the bout 2-0.
A run of six at the tie mark of 3-3 was facilitated by continuous defense and tips by Fauser. A kill by Fauser off a Warrior return brought the game back to the Huskies in what led to an eventual lead of 11 (18-7) and a time out by Central Elkader. Huskies saw a spread of 12 during the rally (23-11).
Free balls were secured in the floor as See recorded six digs as Macy Westendorf recorded three. The pair were key in getting the ball up for setter Weir in set one, too. Both teams had bouts of free balls sent over the net with easy digs to keep the ball in play until the girls got them to their setters to continue their attacks.
The Huskies totaled 13 successful kills out of 23 attempts in the second set, the most recorded on the night.
“One thing we really need to work on is consistency,†Woods said about the various leads in set two. “It’s early, that’s one thing. It’s nice to get in here and get in sync, but we know what we need to work on, we know what we need to fix.â€
A Warrior serve sent out of bounds brought set two to a close, 25-12.
Set three’s beginning took a bit more push from the Huskies as they struggled to find that same momentum. A short serve and failed blocking attempt by Central Elkader returned the ball after a point-for-point run as the game neared 15-15.
See sent the Huskies into an eight-point lead in the final game, collecting an ace in the process until a four-touch ended the play (24-16).
Warrior Zoey Armstrong’s serve found itself below the net, ending the third and final set 25-16.
“We’re emphasizing off balls. Those free balls we really need to take advantage of those every time,†Woods said.
