A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Mattison Defoe serves a ball for the Ogichidaag volleyball team during Tuesday's match with Marshall.
Fond du Lac Ojibwe School's Ailie Peacock passes a ball during Tuesday night's home loss to Marshall School.
Fond du Lac Ojibwe School libero Amelia Aubid dives to the floor for a dig during Tuesday's match. She had 22 digs in the 3-0 loss.
In her third season as coach of the Fond du Lac Ojibwe School volleyball team, Larissa Littlewolf has a record 21 girls out for the team. She is starting to see the fruits of her labor.
"It is so much fun to build a program," said Littlewolf. "I work full-time and I couldn't imagine not coaching this year and building this team. We have some ninth-graders who are growing so fast and killing it. You can just see their confidence growing every game."
The Ogichidaag played their first home game of the season Tuesday and dropped a 3-0 decision to Duluth Marshall by scores of 25-17, 25-7 and 25-16.
"I am super-proud of these girls," said Littlewolf. "I really appreciate them and their willingness to try new positions and be adaptable as we try to see what works."
Sophomore libero Amelia Aubid stepped up big Tuesday in the back row and had 22 digs for FDL. Natalea Reynolds also had a solid game at setter. Littlewolf said Reynolds did a fantastic job of leading the offense.
"The first and third games of the match our girls played amazing," Littlewolf said. "We hung in there and we rallied the ball well ... you can see we are starting to build confidence as a team."
Senior Ailie and Zoey Peacock were tough in the front row, offering up blocks and big hits against the Hilltoppers. Left outside hitter Rylie Diver also had a good night for the Ogichidaag, according to Littlewolf.
"That first game was amazing and we made Marshall earn the points they got," Littlewolf said.
Along with the Peacocks, twin sisters Tiara and Raina Shabaish are seniors and are providing key leadership roles for the Ogichidaag.
"The majority of our team is younger," Littlewolf said. "Our senior leadership has been great at motivating the younger players and getting them to reach a higher level of play."
Freshman Nylea Durant starts at outside hitter role for FDL and is another key player for the team.
"She is strong, smart and knows how to play the game," said Littlewolf.
The loss dropped the Ogichidaag to 0-4 on the season, but with the strong numbers in the program and their senior leadership, it won't be shocking to see the team put up some wins in the very near future.
