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The word "awesome" is used to describe many things and it is a great adjective.
It was the word that described the effort of the Dodgeville volleyball team Tuesday, a team with a small roster, a team dedicated to getting better each time out.
The Dodgers did everything but win their SWC match with Platteville Tuesday. They took the talented Hillwomen to five games and led half of the fifth before losing 15-12, a decision that gave Platteville the win.
While the Dodgers are 0-2 they just may be one of the best 0-2 teams in the state. And the best thing is they feel they will soon get something into the left column.
The awesomeness was proven by the scores. The Dodgers won the first game 25-18 and Platteville the second 27-25. The Hillwomen won the third game 26-24 before Dodgeville forced the fifth game with a 26-24 win in game four.
After a 10-8 Dodgeville lead in game five, Platteville went on a run to a 13-12 lead.
The Hillwomen edged to the win by eating a pass then a swing at the ball sent it out of bounds for the final point.
"We played for the win," coach Cathy Bramlett said. "We never want to play not to lose."
The match took over three hours to play in a heated gym. It was a study in endurance for the Dodgers.
"They played so hard," Bramlett said. "Their uniforms were completely soaked when they finished."
"To play that well for so long is remarkable," she added. "We had seven girls who played the entire time as the only change we made was with the libero."
One of the high points for the Dodgers was the play of freshman setter Kara Crowley. She had 127 touches and dished 32 assists with four errors.
"That is remarkable for a freshman," said Bramlett. "She also had five blocks so she did a great job all-around,"
Brooke Lee registered 14 kills and 13 blocks while recording four aces.
Taylor Stanek had 13 kills with Alexis Bohnsack adding eight and Kristi Bramlett four.
Stanek was the digs leader with 18.
Also contributing blocks were Bohnsack and Stanek with three each and Bramlett with two.
"We played fantastic volleyball," Bramlett said. "We didn't give up and we battled back. We did a good job talking and moving our feet."
"To Platteville's credit they made us move and did a good job getting the ball to different spots," Bramlett said. "We are looking forward to the next time we play them."
The Dodgers are at Lancaster Thursday and play in the DeForest tournament Saturday.