by ClassBEast » Tue Nov 08, 2011 9:32 am
Grovers topped by W-L at Region 1 volleyball tournament
FARGO – Wyndmere-Lidgerwood’s volleyball players are telling themselves one thing: You’ve got to believe.
By: Kevin Schnepf, INFORUM
After defeating Fargo Oak Grove 25-17, 25-23, 19-25, 25-18 in Monday’s first round of the North Dakota Class B, Region 1 tournament, Wyndmere-Lidgerwood now gets the task of taking on perennial power Central Cass in today’s semifinals.
“We know we will be considered the big underdog,” said Warbirds coach Chris Swenson, whose team improved to 21-13 – two of those losses coming against Central Cass.
“We have to believe that we can do it,” said Warbirds senior Marie Goerger. “If we believe we can do it, then maybe we can do something.”
Goerger did plenty against Oak Grove, coming up with 12 kills, two service aces and 9 digs. Her final kill ended the match played on Oak Grove’s home court.
“We ask her to do so much out there, defensively and offensively,” Swenson said of the 5-foot-6 Goerger. “That was one of her better games. She played very smart.”
Oak Grove, after losing leads in the first two sets, went on a 6-1 run to finish and win the third set. But the Warbirds were too much when they built an 18-11 lead in the final set.
Oak Grove’s season ends with a 21-13-2 record.
OAK GROVE (kills-blocks-aces): Osmundson 3-0-1 (29 assists), McDonald 8-3-0, Kelley 11-5-0, Martinson 4-1-3, Zaeske 2-0-2, VandeVoort 9-1-1, Lang 0-0-3 (16 digs).
WYNDMERE-LIDGERWOOD: Wittenburg 3-0-1 (29 assists), Grumbo 4-0-0, S. Goerger 1-0-0, Hulm 12-1-2, Mellem 0-0-0, Adams 0-0-0, Klosterman 0-0-0 (12 digs), Vosberg 8-0-0, Willprecht 0-0-3, Ford 0-0-1, M. Goerger 12-0-2.
Central Cass 3, Milnor 0
It would be easy for Central Cass to look ahead.
“But we’ve been stressing all week, worry about Team A before even thinking about Team B,” said Central Cass volleyball coach Bridget Stowers.
Team A was Milnor, whom Central Cass defeated 25-16, 25-22, 25-16 in Monday’s first round of the North Dakota Class B, Region I tournament being held at Oak Grove High School.
Team B is Wyndmere-Lidgerwood, whom the 38-3 Squirrels will face in tonight’s semifinals. Team C could be Kindred, whom Central Cass is expected to face in Thursday night’s championship for the right to go to next week’s state tournament in the Fargodome.
“We’re just focusing one game at a time … coach has been pounding that in our heads all week,” said Central Cass senior Courtney Dixon, who had 12 kills and 12 digs against Milnor.
Central Cass fell behind 12-9 in the first set and owned a slim 17-15 lead before going on an 8-1 run. After falling behind in the second set 7-3 and clinging to a 21-20 lead, Central Cass prevailed. In the final set, Central Cass went on a 10-2 run to close the match.
“Stay calm, just play our game,” Dixon said. “Don’t panic. That would be the last thing we would want to do.”
That and look ahead to Team C.
“We have to keep our short-term future in check,” Stowers said. “That’s not easy to do, though.”
Milnor’s season ends with a 23-7 record.
MILNOR (kills-blocks-aces): Ellefson 5-0-1 (9 digs), Halvorson 7-4-1, McCloud 2-1-1, Tompkins 2-1-0 (13 assists), Megan Prante 0-0-0 (8 digs), Weber 1-0-1 (8 digs), Morgan Prante 0-0-0, Sakry 4-1-0.
CENTRAL CASS: Slemmons 5-1-0, Weber 0-0-0 (5 digs), Ruliffson 1-0-1 (12 assists, 7 digs), Wieland 1-0-0, Breske 6-4-1, Voss 3-1-1 (21 assists), Dixon 12-1-1 (12 digs), Morris 5-1-0, Dooley 4-0-0.
Kindred 3, Hankinson 0
Kindred has been thinking about this week’s North Dakota Class B Region 1 volleyball tournament for the last year.
“Last year, we really didn’t come to play,” said Kindred senior Braidy Dahl.
Dahl and her teammates came to play Monday when they cruised to a 25-13, 25-5, 25-14 opening-round win over Hankinson. The win was a big improvement over last year’s region performance, when the Vikings struggled during their first two matches before losing a championship match to Central Cass.
“That felt good,” said Kindred coach Brooks Dockter. “We talked about coming out with a lot of intensity and our girls did that. We think we are peaking at the right time.”
Kindred’s drive for its first region championship got a big boost last month when it knocked off Class A powers Fargo North and Fargo Shanley in a weekend tournament.
“That showed what we are capable of and what we should be expecting of ourselves,” said Dahl, who had 12 kills and 6 digs against Hankinson.
Kindred takes a 36-6 record into tonight’s semifinal match. The Vikings’ only losses have come against Class A’s Fargo Davies, West Fargo and Grand Forks Red River plus Class B’s Carrington and twice to Central Cass – a team Kindred beat in last week’s district championship.
HANKINSON (kills-blocks-aces): Loll 1-0-0, Hoglin 0-0-0 (12 assists), Westphal 3-0-0, Riemann 2-0-0, Stein 3-0-3 (8 digs), Theede 0-0-0 (5 digs), Asp 3-0-1 (14 digs), Garcia 0-0-1 (5 digs).
KINDRED: Perhus 0-0-1, Cose 0-0-0, Glasow 5-0-0, Podolak 1-0-0, Allmaras 0-0-1, Casey 1-0-0 (10 digs), Bugner 5-0-0, Schmit 7-5-5 (6 digs), Graff 2-0-0, Otterson 1-2-4 (33 assists), Dahl 12-0-2, Olson 0-0-0.
Northern Cass 3, North Sargent 1
Northern Cass gets another chance to beat Kindred in volleyball.
After claiming a 25-19, 19-25, 25-23, 25-19 win over North Sargent of Gwinner in Monday’s first round of the North Dakota Class B region tournament, Northern Cass will play in tonight’s semifinals against Kindred – a team the Jaguars have lost to five times this season.
“Hopefully, tomorrow is the big one,” said Northern Cass head coach Tom Klapp, whose team improved to 25-8 for the season. “We have to outplay them on defense. It’s a matter of who can play the best defense.”
Northern Cass relied on the offense of senior Ashlee Burgad, junior hitter Whitney Ward and senior Alexia Johnson who combined for 30 kills to beat North Sargent for the third time this season.
With the match tied 1-1, Ward managed to land her offbalanced kill inbounds for the final point in the Jaguars’ 25-23 third-set win.
NORTH SARGENT (kills-blocks-aces): Euscher 3-0-0, Murphy 2-2-2 (7 digs), Anderson 4-4-0 (10 digs), Peterson 10-3-3, Orn 6-2-0 (10 digs), Wrage 3-2-2 (11 digs), Sandness 4-0-3 (19 digs), Hansana 1-4-1.
NORTHERN CASS: V. Johnson 10-3-0, A. Johnson 9-2-0, Strauss 1-1-0, C. Ward 0-0-8 (20 digs), W. Ward 11-5-1 (14 digs), Burgad 9-02, Zieske 3-0-0, Olson 0-0-1 (12 assists), Verwest 4-1-0 (24 assists).