Volleyball Recap: Miller Takes a Loss

After flying high against Mt. Vernon/Plankinton on Tuesday, Miller came back down to earth. The Rustlers fell just short of the Hitchcock-Tulare Patriots by a score of 3-2 on Thursday. The Rustlers were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Patriots apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in October of 2024.

Miller took a 2-1 lead headed into the fourth set, but sadly they lost the next two. The match finished with set scores of 21-25, 25-18, 23-25, 25-18, 15-10.

Paige Werdel paced Miller's offense, picking up 14 kills. Werdel got some help from Gracen Werdel and her 35 assists. Finally, Paige was also a dominant defender, finishing with a team-high four blocks.

Hitchcock-Tulare can attribute much of their success to Avarie Estey, who had 11 digs. That's the most digs Estey has posted since back in September of 2024.

Rustlers

Previous 5 Games

10/09/25 @ Hitchcock-Tulare	2-3
10/07/25 vs Mt. Vernon/Plankinton	3-0
10/02/25 vs Parkston	3-2
09/30/25 vs Chamberlain	3-0
09/27/25 vs Sioux Falls Christian	0-2

With the loss, Miller broke their three-match winning streak and moved their record to 13-7. As for Hitchcock-Tulare, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 16 of their last 18 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-4 record this season.

Miller and Hitchcock-Tulare should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps South Dakota Rankings. The Rustlers (ranked 29th) will meet Platte/Geddes (ranked 88th) at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Hitchcock-Tulare will face off against Langford at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday with a big rank advantage (27 vs. 104).