Addi McCauley was swinging with confidence and power on Tuesday evening.
Markesan didn't stand much of a chance.
McCauley helped lead Laconia to a 25-9, 25-8, 25-12 sweep of Markesan in a home nonconference match. The senior outside hitter finished with 11 kills and three aces.
"It was so much fun," McCauley said. "Our setters are just so good and it's fun to crush balls like that and get a lot of kills. Our team gets really excited when we go on runs like tonight."
The Spartans (1-0) went with versatile senior Mariska Kees at setter. Kees had 23 assists and sparked Laconia with seven service aces.
Kees stepped in for usual setter Pallen Kloetzke. McCauley highlighted Kees' willingness to do whatever the team needs.
"I love her," McCauley said. "She's very talented and she's mindful of keeping the team [positive], she doesn't get down and she contributes in every position."
Coach Kaitlyn Wiese said she was proud of Kees stepping in and leading the offense seamlessly.
"She did a really good job of running the offense," Wiese said. "She really took that leadership role of calling out the plays, which I really like to see.
"At first the balls were a little too low, but she listened to us, got them higher and got them out to the antenna and I think getting the ball out to the antenna really helped Addi be able to slam the ball down."
Laconia showcased its offensive depth against the Hornets (0-1), for Kees was able to get multiple hitters involved. Senior Eva Engel had seven kills while sisters Payton and Finley Morgan combined for another seven.
After spending the offseason focusing on improving serve receive, Wiese said she was happy with how the team looked in that regard in its opening match, but there is still room for improvement.
"It got a lot better," Wiese said. "We still have some flaws to work on like passing outside our body, but it's a huge improvement from last year, I'm really proud of them."
Senior libero Aubrey Leonard had 23 digs and was key, along with Josie Basler, in the serve receive part of the game. Basler added 14 digs.
Leonard said she thinks progress is being made.
"You could tell it was our first game," Leonard said. "We all had a lot of jitters and not every pass was perfect. I had to keep in my head to keep the energy up and not think about the mistakes and just keep looking forward."
PHOTO GALLERY - Markesan at Laconia - 8/27/2024
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