BALDWIN — Spring Valley volleyball is off to a strong start this season, and as the 2023 Dunn-St. Croix Conference champions with an 8-0 record in conference play, the Cardinals are well on their way to another year of contention.

Spring Valley has started the season 9-2, with the lone losses coming against New Richmond and Baldwin-Woodville. Heading to the Baldwin-Woodville quad on Sept. 12, the Cardinals knew it was not going to be easy, but they took 2-1 wins over Spooner and Clear Lake before falling 2-0 to the home squad.

The three set wins are not something the Spring Valley team takes for granted, as contested battles like they had can show what a team is made of early on.

“Being able to close those close games, it shows heart, it shows hustle,” Head Coach Kelli Schlegel said. “We were able to do that before tonight, so it’s good to see.”

The day came down to which teams could dig deep to find a win when the third set kicked in, and Spring Valley pulled it off twice despite the tired legs.

It was strong play at the net on both sides of the ball that boosted Spring Valley to the wins, and it was most noticeable against Clear Lake, where some big blocks and massive spikes brought the Cardinals to a three-set win (25-10, 21-25, 15-7).

“Did really good at the net today, blocking, hitting,” Schlegel said. “A lot of things to work on, still early in the season.”

Junior outside Ella Stangl is a vital piece of the team, and it showed through being the piece that held the puzzle together at the net all day.

“She’s the heart of our team,” Schlegel said. “Unfortunately injured in the last game, so she wasn’t able to play, but she’s a star at the line, she’s a force in the front row.”

For the Cardinals, the start of the season leading to conference play is all about picking up experience. Spring Valley starts two freshmen and just one senior, with some of the players still getting a handle on varsity volleyball. Schlegel said confidence comes with experience and the team has to stay level-headed through sets they are grinding through.

“Just confidence,” Schlegel said. “Not getting down when things aren’t going our way.”

A part of the confidence comes from team chemistry. When each of the players feel as if they know exactly what each other player on the court is going to do next, they can focus solely on doing what they need to do individually.

“Heart, hustle and team,” Schlegel said. “We talk a lot about we over me and that’s what’s important.”

The team may not have finished the day with a flawless record, but they learned a lot about what it will take moving forward.

“A lot of positive,” Schlegel said. “Just throwing new girls in and seeing who fits and who gels. We’ve seen a lot of girls step up.”

Conference play is approaching, and Spring Valley kicks it off at 7 p.m. Sept. 19 at home against Colfax.