By Rich Winter

605 Sports

There has been a lot of high-fiving going around Wolsey-Wessington School this week. 

Ever since the volleyball team punched their ticket to their first-ever Class B state volleyball tournament, the entire community seems to have some extra pep in their step. 

“Everyone is so excited and they are all talking about it,” Lindy Uttecht, Wolsey-Wessington volleyball coach said. “That excitement trickles all the way down to the elementary school where the little kids are saying hi and offering high-fives.”

The Warbirds have been knocking on that state tournament door now for several seasons. A year ago the team finished 27-5, falling 3-1 in the SoDak 16 to Burke. 

From that moment the Wolsey-Wessington girls went to work. 

“Our success this season has a lot to do with the work and the effort we put in,” Leah Williams, senior volleyball player said. “Even during track season we would go in every weekend and just work on getting better.” 

Coach Uttecht said the girls spent their summer doing agility work and lifting three days a week beginning at 6:30 a.m. 

Mya Boomsma of Wolsey-Wessington plays a volley as teammate Lainey Uttecht (20) looks on during a match against Redfield on Oct. 24 in Wolsey - Photo courtesy of Mike Carroll

“It takes a lot of discipline and dedication to show up and put the work in even when you are tired,” she said. 

That hard work translated to a 28-4 season with the only losses coming twice to Class A No. 2 seed Miller, Class B No. 1 seed Warner and a five-set thriller against Northwestern, the team the Warbirds face in the first round of the Class B state tournament Thursday. 

Wolsey-Wessington has 10 juniors and seniors that play key spots. The girls have been playing together since elementary school and Williams even has a connection to first-year Wolsey-Wessington player, 6-foot-4 senior Mallory Miller. 

“We’ve been playing together since fourth-grade and this is a very tight-knit team,” Williams said. “I’ve been playing club volleyball with Mallory and we’ve become really good friends over the last three years.” 

Miller played in the state tournament a year ago with Aberdeen Christian. She and 5-foot-11 junior Kailynn Dorris form a nearly impenetrable wall at the net, having combined for 111 blocks this season.

“Mallory has that state tournament experience and we’re hoping some of that trickles down to the rest of the girls,” Uttecht said. 

Senior Mya Boomsma headlines the Warbirds attack leading the team with 380 kills. Miller has 262 kills while Williams has 220 kills to her resume. Taylor Horn has taken over the setting duties and has 704 assists to go along with 188 digs. Lainey Uttecht leads the team with 447 digs.

“Lainey does a good job getting the ball back to our setter and our offense really takes off from there,” Coach Uttecht said. 

Wolsey-Wessington’s Lainey Uttecht digs the ball during a match on Sept. 22 against James Valley Christian at the JVC gym - Photo courtesy of Mike Carroll

A year ago nerves got the best of the Warbirds in their SoDak 16 match with Burke. In this year’s SoDak 16, a straight set win over Timber Lake, things were different. 

“This year the girls were calmer, more confident and not quite as jittery,” Uttecht said. 

Thursday’s matchup against Northwestern features a familiar opponent as the Warbirds lost in five-sets to the Wildcats in their second match of the year on Aug. 25. 

“We played Northwestern and it went to five sets,” Uttecht said. “That is good motivation for us because we know we can play with this team, we know their personnel and have game film from recent matches.”