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By Kate Huber, Maquoketa Valley senior

DELHI – Last week, the Maquoketa Valley volleyball team hosted Alburnett in what it  knew would be a tough conference matchup.

The Wildcats came out hesitant, which hurt them all night. They weren’t able to get a set from the Pirates, losing 25-19, 25-10 and 25-10.

“Inconsistency was the issue for us,” Maquoketa Valley Coach Tiffany Feldman said. “We struggled with passing, serve receive and running an offense. Alburnett was able to follow through and capitalize on some of those mistakes. We also played without our senior setter Ali Holtz, who is a huge leader on the floor.”

Leading the offense was Nicole Kudrna with five kills. Haley Hillers led serving, going 7 for 7. Brooke Wooten and sophomore Tiffany Hoeger each had three assists.

Defensively, Wooten and Kudrna led with two blocks each. Renee Huber led the back row with six digs.

On Tuesday, the girls hosted another conference game against Starmont. Although the girls played well, they fell short, losing 25-9, 25-23 and 25-20.

Leading the defense for this night was libero Ashley Holtz with five digs. Kudrna led the defense at the net with two blocks.

Offensively, Kudrna led with eight kills while Renee Huber and Brooke Wooten contributed six kills apiece. Wooten had 14 assists and Ali Holtz had seven. Holtz also led serving for the night going 9 for 9 with an ace.

“The girls worked so hard against Starmont, having some very exciting volleys, just coming up short in the match,” Feldman said. “They played the best they had played in a few matches, but Starmont’s great defense played a huge role. I was pleased with the enthusiasm and leadership I saw on the floor.”