The Crookston Pirates volleyball team gave it their all but it wasn’t enough as they fall to Mahnomen-Waubun in three sets (25-12, 25-9, 25-18) at Waubun School.
FIRST SET
The set kicked off with each team scoring a point. Then, Nelly Weaver delivered two straight kills to put the Thunderbirds up 3-1. After going up 5-2, three straight Crookston points knotted the score at 5. The Thunderbirds then scored four in a row to take a 9-5 lead, and an ace by McKenna Bjerk turned it into a 12-6 lead. Out of a timeout. the Pirates scored four in a row to make it 12-10. Then, the Thunderbirds went on a run of their own to make it 17-10, capped off with a kill by Leah Hlubek. The lead stayed at 7 consistently until an ace by Mataya Bigbear made it 23-12, followed by another Hlubek kill to win the first set 25-12.
SECOND SET
The second set began with a kill by Olivea Ruschmeier of Mahnomen-Waubun. After taking a 4-1 lead, Rilynn Aubol delivered a kill to cut the lead to 2. The Thunderbirds did not break, however, and ended a 3-0 run with a Brynn McArthur kill to make it 7-2. An ace by Dukessa Ramirez stopped the run, and cut the lead to 8-5. But, the Thunderbirds took advantage of some Pirate mistakes to build the lead all the way to 13-5 before Naomi Johnson stopped the bleeding. Crookston then went on a run to cut the score to 13-8. The Thunderbirds responded once more, and quicker, scoring 9 straight to go up 22-8. The set was finished by a terrific serve by Leah Hlubel, winning the set 25-9.
THIRD SET
At the start of the third set, Crookston did their best to start with momentum, but the Thunderbirds scored the first four points before Mackenzie Funk delivered a powerful kill. Mahnomen-Waubun continued their offensive attack scoring the next three to make it 7-1. Funk then served, and delivered four great serves in a row to make it 7-5. The lead stayed at 2 consistently, with Funk making athletic plays all over the court, until an ace by Emily Bowman tied the score at 11. The Thunderbirds scored two quickly to make it 13-11, and a block by Isabella Schlick quickly made it 16-11. Crookston stopped the run there, and Aubol provided a block to cut the lead to 3. The lead hovered around 3 until. a Nelly Weaver kill capped off a Thunderbird run, making it 22-15. The set ended with a perfectly placed spike by Peyton McArthur-Gordon, winning the set 25-18.
Crookston drops to 0-2 on the year, while Mahnomen-Waubun starts their season with a record of 1-0.
During the postgame interview, Pirate head coach Katie Morgan commended her team for battling. “There was a lot of really good progress throughout the match,” said Morgan. “We gave it all out on the court, and I think we really showed what our season could be.” When asked about the overall play of Mackenzie Funk, Morgan was full of praise, not just for her, but for all the leaders on the team. “She really stepped it up,” exclaimed Morgan with a smile on her face. “She has really stepped up as a senior as a captain, and it’s really fun seeing those leaders showing what they could do.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Crookston | 12 | 9 | 18 |
| Mahnomen-Waubun | 25 | 25 | 25 |
For CROOKSTON
Kills – Joey Nesseth 5, Naomi Johnson 4, Mackenzie Funk 2
Blocks – Rilynn Aubol 1
Digs – Joey Nesseth & Mackenzie Funk, 11
Assists – Makenna Kopecky 9
Aces – Joey Nesseth 2, Emily Bowman & Dukessa Ramirez, 1
