---

By Brian Kalish

September 13, 2012

Wausau– After a relatively slow start to the volleyball season a couple of weeks ago, it appears that the SPASH Panthers are hitting their stride in conference play.  Need proof?  Look no farther than their dominating performance on the road over Wausau West on Thursday night.  SPASH took the match with ease in three games, 25-16, 25-12, 25-17.

SPASH was led by a strong performance from senior outside hitter Nicki Hauser, who seemed to be involved in nearly every play of the match, whether it was pounding home a kill, setting up her teammates or blocking a kill attempt by the Warriors.

Hauser led SPASH with 13 kills, but that stat alone cannot adequately illustrate her impact on the game.

“She’s one of the best all around athletes and volleyball players I have ever coached,” said SPASH head coach Julie Johnson.  ”We look to her in a lot of situations.  She’s very effective.  She can pass, she can play defense, she can serve…  When we’re in tight situations, we like to get the ball in her hands.”

SPASH wasn’t in a lot of tight situations in this match.  They opened up an 8-3 lead in the first game and extended their lead to 12-4 on some excellent serving by Molly Williams.

West’s Krista Sandberg did her part  in game one by pulling the Warriors within 3 points on the strength of her serving, but SPASH was simply too much.  Williams notched two consecutive kills to halt West’s rally and SPASH cruised to a first game win.

Then it was the Nicki Hauser show.

Hauser nailed a crushing kill to give SPASH a 18-11 lead from which they would not look back.

It was more Hauser in game three as she spiked home three points in a row to give SPASH a 16-11 lead.  Later, Hauser adroitly pulled up on a tipped ball and let it float just out of bounds to extend SPASH’s lead to 17-24.  One point later, SPASH had secured the victory.

SPASH appears to have seized momentum heading into its first Wisconsin Valley Conference meet this weekend at Wausau East where the Panthers will face Wausau East and Marshfield.

“This is a good momentum builder for us,” Johnson said.  ”This gives us a nice conference win to carry us into the weekend.”

Stats:

Kills: SPASH– Hauser 13, Williams 7; West– Fochs 5, Geiger 5
Assists: SPASH– Brzezinski 72; West– Strandberg 9
Digs: SPASH– Bembeneck 11; West– Geiger 11