The Crookston Pirate Volleyball team gave it everything they had, but they lost three hard-fought sets to the Red Lake Falls Eagles 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-19) at the Crookston High School Gymnasium on Tuesday night.
FIRST SET
Crookston started hot, scoring the first two points of the set. The Eagles, however, were quickly able to bounce back, as a Shandi Nelson kill sparked a 5-1 run that put them up 6-3. From there, the Eagles consistently scored two or three points in a row, getting kills from Nelson, Makenna Hoefer and Hannah Robison. The offensive barrage didn’t stop there, as the power hitters pushed the Eagles ahead to a 14-6 lead. The Pirates then stormed back, as an Ella Anderson ace sparked a 4-0 run, cutting the lead to 14-10. The Eagles, however, got the last laugh, and ended the set on an 11-3 run, taking the first set 25-13.
SECOND SET
Both teams were going back and forth to start the second set, which started at a 3-3 score. Then, after a kill, Layna Schindler recorded back-to-back aces to put the Eagles up 6-3. From there, they kept their feet on the gas, and pulled away to a 10-5 advantage. Once again, however, the Pirates bounced back, and a Brynna Kopecky kill capped off a run to cut the lead down to 13-10. But then, just when it seemed like the Pirates were gaining some momentum, the Eagles wrestled it back. Rowan Kennett came off the bench, and the freshman made her presence felt with three kills in six points, giving the Eagles a 19-12 lead. They would not look back, as they cruised to a 25-15 set win, going up two sets to none.
THIRD SET
In the third set, RLF got off to their best start of the night, scoring 7 of the first 8 points to take a 7-1 lead. Both teams would go back and forth until it was 11-4, and then the Pirates found another gear yet again. Brynna Kopecky stood up to the task, scoring two kills as part of an 8-2 run, cutting the lead to 13-12. However, the Eagles came back again, and a Kennett kill started a 6-0 run to put the Eagles up 19-12 yet again. Then, the Pirates bounced back again, going on a 5-2 run to make it 21-17. The Eagles were just too much, though, and pulled away for a 25-19 victory, winning the match three sets to none.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Red Lake Falls | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Crookston | 13 | 15 | 19 |
For Crookston
Kills – Brynna Kopecky 6, Jayde Uttermark 4
Blocks – Madi Abrams, Abi Bruley, Jayde Utermark 1
Digs – Brynna Kopecky 13
Assists-
Aces – Ella Anderson 2
For Red Lake Falls
Kills – Shandi Nelson 21, Rowan Kennett 8
Blocks – Shandi Nelson, Makenna Hoefer, Kayla Schafer 1
Digs – Reese Pahlen 14, Makenna Hoefer 10
Assists- Kylie Klipping 18
Aces – Layna Schindler 4
