GERING, NEBRASKA – The Wheatland High School varsity volleyball team has had three 20-plus win seasons in a row. In 2022 the Bulldogs posted a 28-9 overall and 6-0 conference record. In 2023 WHS finished with a 24-12-1 overall record and 5-1 conference record. So far in 2024 the Lady Bulldogs are 20-6 and 3-0 in their conference quad. This is no easy feat, and definitely attests to a great senior class that will be sorely missed next season.
On Thursday, the Lady Bulldogs traveled to Nebraska to take on the Bulldogs of Gering. The C-team and JV earned wins, but the varsity fell short of the victory: 20-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-14. It was homecoming week for Gering, so the Lady Bulldogs played in front of a solid crowd. It is always tough playing in Nebraska, as there are a few changes to the format similar to COVID rules. Teams do not switch sides, so the gals get to play on the side of the student section for the duration of the match; there is a five minute intermission between the second and third sets;tThe warm up is 5-5-5-1(timed increments in minutes) whereas the traditional warm up in Wyoming is 14 minutes and each team is allowed seven minutes on the net. In Nebraska neither team can touch a ball while the other team is on the court.
It is a bit quirky, however it proved great for our girls to demonstrate how to handle change and pressure, coach Nichols stated. “Overall it was a good experience and will help us prepare to play at different venues for the postseason,” she said.

Statistic leaders for the Gering match were as follows: Gavrielle Dawson with nine kills and 15 digs; Camryn Mickelsen with 25 assists and one solo block; Desirae Iacovetto had eight kills and three blocks; Karley Adams had four kills and three blocks; Halle Mickelsen earned six kills and five digs; Ayden Coates had six kills and three blocks; Ella Keil had 21 digs and one ace; and Delaney Aurich had four digs and two aces.
Road warriors for the week, the Bulldogs traveled to Newcastle on Saturday to play in the Dogie Dome. The C-team dropped the conference match, but the JV and varsity both won. WHS varsity had a sweep in three sets with scores of: 25-9, 25-7, 25-17. Serving was definitely the highlight for the Bulldogs with several players serving aces. Bianca Dawson, Traylea Foland, and Maggie Hicks put some pressure on the back row of Newcastle which made their offense out-of-system for most of the match.
Leaders were: Dawson with seven kills, 12 digs, and five aces; C. Mickelsen with 25 assists and one ace; Iacovetto had seven kills; Adams had three kills and two blocks; H. Mickelsen posted six kills and three digs; Coates had eight kills and one block; Keil had eight digs; Dawson had seven assists; Foland had 11 serves and Hicks had seven serves.
This week the Lady Bulldogs face off against Burns on the road Thursday, then follow up with Torrington on Friday at home. There are two regular season weeks left and then the Conference Tournament at Douglas on November 1st and 2nd. The State Volleyball Tournament is scheduled for November 7 - 9 in Casper at the Ford Wyoming Center.