WINDOM - In an early-season matchup that could carry heavy Section 3A implications by season’s end, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton came out on top.
Each game was close as the Panthers managed to knock off Windom Area in four sets.
“It was a tough match,” said TMB head coach Katie Gervais. “It was a nice match to start off the season.”
The visitors took the first set 25-22 before the Eagles jumped out to an 18-14 lead in the second. An eight-point run pushed things in the Panthers’ direction, and they eventually went up 2-0 with a 25-21 triumph.
“It was a great match,” Windom Area head coach Ron Wendorff said. “We had our chances. In the second game we felt like we had them under control but they just made a great run on us.”
The Eagles bounced back to take the third set 25-19. T-M-B regained its hold, however, and finished off the victory with a 25-22 win.
In a game that featured plenty of long rallies, Gabbie Gervais went 23-for-24 serving with 50 set assists for the Panthers. Sydney Lanoue slammed a game-high 25 kills and had 12 digs. Kaylee Kirk served at a 12-for-14 clip while also leading the team in digs with 21. Kendra Ludemann added 13 kills.
Lauren Huset had a nice night for the home team by going 21-of-21 serving with three aces and 24 set assists. Madison Maras was also perfect from the service line with two aces, 13 digs and five kills. Porsha Porath added 11 kills, one solo block and five block assists while Sydnee Broberg scooped up 16 digs.
SWC 3, Luverne 0
LUVERNE - The Southwest Minnesota Christian Eagles ended on top at the end of their matchup with the Luverne Cardinals Tuesday.
The scores of the three close sets were 25-22, 25-14, and 25-21.
Leading the Eagles to the win were Haley Tinklenberg with three ace serves and Ann Pater, who had 16 kills. Mariah Talsma and Chantel Groen each had seven kills, and Groen also had two solo blocks. Hope Veldkamp and Leah Buys each had nine digs each with Buys adding 30 set assists.
For the Cardinals, Ariel DeBeer went 12-for-13 serving with three aces, 20 set assists, seven digs, and five solo blocks. Haley Remme had 12 out of 12 complete serves with four aces and five kills, and Nicole Kneip had five solo blocks, seven digs, and five kills.
SWC advances to 1-1 and will face Pipestone next Tuesday, and Luverne loses its first game of the season with another one this Thursday against St. James.
Edgerton 3, Ellsworth 0
ELLSWORTH - The Edgerton Flying Dutchmen out-matched the Ellsworth Panthers in three sets Tuesday.
The Dutchmen dominated the sets 25-17, 25-16, and 25-13.
Edgerton was led by Jordyn Smit, who scored 14 points serving and made 14 set assists. Mia Wassink had 10 kills and nine digs while her teammate Halle Wassink had six kills. A major defensive player was Mandie Petersen, who had seven digs.
Leading servers for Ellsworth were Madyson Domeyer and Maggie Kruse, who each had two aces. Hannah Kramer had three kills and so did Devin Dreesen. Megan Popkes was the leading blocker with two.
The Dutchmen improve their record to 1-1 and will meet RRC next Thursday, while the Panthers lose their opening game and face H-BC Tuesday.
H-BC 3, Adrian 0
HILLS - The Hills-Beaver Creek Patriots defeated the Adrian Dragons at home Tuesday in just three sets.
The Dragons weren’t too far behind to begin with, but they fell back as the matchup continued. The sets were 25-21, 25-9, and 25-14.
Major contributors for the Patriots were Jasmine Lingen with 12 kills and Sidney Fick, who scored seven aces. Additionally, Mekayla Kolbrek completed 17 set assists and Avery Van Roekel led on defense with seven blocks.
Eighth-grader Kasie Tweet was the most essential player for Adrian with six kills and nine digs. Leading the Dragon defense was Miah Kunkel with 10 digs, three blocks, and also four kills.
H-BC wins its first game of the season and will see Ellsworth Tuesday. The Dragons lose their first one and face ML/GHEC this Thursday.
Pipestone 3, R-T-R 0
PIPESTONE- The Pipestone Area Arrows swept the Russell-Tyler-Ruthton Knights in dominating fashion Tuesday night. The Arrows won the three sets 25-16, 25-13 and 25-12.
Taylor Nesvold played a huge part in the Arrows’ success. The junior went 20-for-20 serving with four aces and 11 digs. Morgan Taubert threw in 14 assists and two blocks for the Arrows. On the receiving end of those assists were Kiaya Alderson and Tarryn Woelber, who both chipped in five kills. Alexis Evans also had a good night for the Arrows, adding 10 digs and three blocks.
The Arrows advance to 1-0 on the season as the Knights fall to 0-1. The Arrows are in action this Thursday against Fulda.
MLA 3, Madelia 0
MOUNTAIN LAKE - It was all Mountain Lake Area Tuesday as it dominated a 3-0 home sweep over Madelia.
The Wolverines opened with a 25-10 thrashing of the Blackhawks and followed that with a 25-8 triumph. Madelia tightened it up a bit in the third, but MLA still came away with a 25-21 win.
Signey Stoesz and Carmen Syverson finished with six kills each while Brooke Sunderman added five. Syverson and Stoesz also paced the defense with 10 digs each.
Stoesz was perfect from the service line, going 30-for-30 with eight aces while putting up 18 set assists.
“We had several good rallies and tough volleys that were won with strategic placement of the ball,” said Wolverines’ coach Cheri Hanson. “We played a much smarter game than our first outing and while it didn’t show in the set assists - 18 for Signey and five for Marta (Stoesz) - we are very happy with the offensive aggressiveness of the team’s play.”
Hanson also praised her team for showing mental toughness in the third game. MLA fell behind by five points but eventually fought back to take the lead and, eventually, the win.
The Wolverines (2-0 overall, 0-0 Red Rock Conference) will be back on their home court at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday against Truman.
