Being in the toughest region in 2A volleyball has proven to have many hard lessons for the young Lusk team. Last week’s Wyopreps Top 5 had all three rivals ranked (PB#2; SE#3; Glenrock #5) and jockeying for seeding at regionals. NCHS had to visit two of the three last weekend and found the visiting waters rough.

Friday night at Glenrock the home team took the first set 25-12, but the Lady Tigers rebounded to tie the match at one with a 25-23 win in the second. The Lady Herders might be the most improved team from last year and were able to keep NCHS off balance in the 25-14 and 25-16 wins to secure the 3-1 win.

NCHS TEAM STATS: Serving- 61/68, 8 aces, 90 pct; Kills- 28/113, 25 pct; Assists- 25; Digs- 71/120, 59 pct.

NCHS PLAYER STATS: Serving- Lucy Ceaglske 12/12; Ashley Christianson 10/10; Bryn Bruch 9/10. Kills- Taylor Gaukel 11; Kianna Blackburn 6; Bruch 6. Assists- Christianson 20. Digs- Gaukel 19; Anna Richardson 15; Blackburn 11; Christianson 10.

Saturday’s trip to Yoder saw a home team hitting their stride at the right time. The Lady Cyclones knocked off PB earlier in the week and defeated Lusk 25-16, 25-12 and 25-8. With the regional tournament just over a week away, the Lady Tigers will be the #4 SE seed for the tournament in Glenrock Oct. 26-27. All brackets and ticket prices can be found at whsaa.org.

NCHS TEAM STATS: Serving- 35/38, 92 pct; Kills- 17/67, 25 pct; Assists- 15; Digs- 44/82, 54 pct.

NCHS PLAYER STATS: Serving- Bruch 8/8; Christianson 6/6; Richardson 6/6; Gaukel 7/8; Ceaglske 7/8. Kills- Gaukel 10. Assists- Christianson 10. Digs- Gaukel 12; Christianson 8; Richardson 8.

The JV lost to Glenrock in two sets 25-22 and 25-9 as Blair served 4/4, Marker had 3 kills/5 atts and Williams was 10 for 11 in serve-receives. Against Southeast the Lady Tigers were out of gas for their third game in three days in the 25-9 and 25-11 two set loss.

The C squad went to Glenrock last week and played a spirited match that went five sets. The home team won the first two 25-17 and 25-22, before NCHS rallied to 25-22 and 25-21 wins to force a deciding set. A hard, valiant effort from the Lusk girls came up short in the 15-10 loss. Harlee Blair 13/13 serving; Renae Marker 8 kills/20 atts; Allison Williams 31 digs/35 atts.

The Lady Tigers wrap up the regular season with a trip to the aforementioned Lady Hornets Friday (4/5 p.m.) and host Senior Day on Saturday. The JV starts at 1 p.m. against LFL, followed by seniors Kianna Blackburn, Ashley Christianson and Taylor Gaukel being honored with their families before the estimated 2 p.m. varsity start.