The Climax-Fisher Knights won the first two sets, and after losing the third set, they bounced back to win the fourth set with ease in a 3-1 (25-21, 25-20, 23-25, 25-14) victory over the Crookston Pirate Volleyball team in a Section 8A matchup played at the Fisher High School gymnasium.
SET ONE –
Crookston took a 3-1 lead out of the game capped with a Kasey Cwikla kill. The set was tied at 6, 8, 12, 13, and 17. Crookston stumbled with a bad pass, which was followed by a hit into the net, and Climax-Fisher took the lead. “They have some pretty big blockers, and that caused us some problems,” said Pirate Coach Ashley Stopa. “They have some players that had different swings, and we had a hard time picking up the different hitters.” The Knights finished the set on an 8-4 run behind three Lindsey Kurz kills for a 25-21 victory to take a 1-0 lead. “We were happy with the way we ended the set,” said Knights Coach Kelsey Wagner. “It was a good all-around effort and we didn’t rely on their errors and were able to get some big points. It was good to start off on a positive note.”
SET TWO –
Climax-Fisher had a great start to the second set with a 5-1 run, capped by a Rylie Magsam kill. “It was nice to start with the lead and to come out like we did,” said Knight Coach Wagner. Climax-Fisher never gave up the lead and had some big kills from Ella Reitmeier, Magsam, Courtney Vatnsdal. Crookston battled back to get within a 19-18 deficit. “We had a hard time with momentum in the set,” said Crookston Coach Stopa. “We would have some points and then give up some points, and that is how it went most of the set.” Climax-Fisher responded with a Jenna Vasek kill, and after Crookston hit out of bounds, the Knights added a kill from Reitmeier for a 22-18 lead. Crookston’s Jasmin Hanson stopped the run with a kill only to have Lindsey Kurz get a big kill followed by a Reitmeier ace for a 24-19 lead. Crookston had a kill to stay alive before Kurz finished the set with another kill for a 25-19 victory to take a 2-0 lead in the match. “It was nice to see the girls fight,” said Knight Coach Wagner. “We had some nice plays and it was good to see us finish it off.”
SET THREE –
The set was tight early on with ties at 1, 2, 3, 8, and 9 before Climax-Fisher went on a 10-1 run behind four Lindsey Kurz kills for a 19-10 lead. “That was a good lead,” said Knight Coach Wagner. “I think we kind of took our foot off the pedal a bit there.” It looked like the Knights were going to cruise to a three-set victory, but they made four serving/hitting errors in a row, and Crookston started a big run. With Crookston trailing 19-14, Rylee Solheim and Cwikla had kills, Hanson added an ace, and the Knights were called in the net, and the Pirates trailed 19-18. The teams exchanged points and were tied at 21 and 22. Climax-Fisher hit into the net, and Hanson had a kill to give Crookston a 24-22 lead, serving for set point. Crookston served into the net, but Climax-Fisher hit into the net, and the Pirates won the set 25-23 to force a fourth set. “I was so proud of Rylee (Solheim) to come out so strong with some big swings tonight,” said Crookston Coach Stopa. “We did a better job of serving and played better in the set to get the win.”
SET FOUR –
The teams were tied at 2 and 4 before Climax-Fisher built a 10-9 lead. Crookston served into the net, Magsam had a kill, Kurz had four kills out of the next five points, and the Knights led 16-10. “They did a great job of finding a way around our blocks, either over or around them,” said Crookston Coach Stopa. “We needed to talk more and didn’t do that tonight.” The Knights continued to dominate the rest of the set and cruised to a 25-14 victory to win the match 3-1. “The girls answered in a big way after a tough third set,” said Knight Coach Wagner. “The girls came out and came out with some big plays and it was nice to finish the way we did. I am really happy and it feels good to win.”
Crookston ends the regular season with a 2-20 record and will be on the road in the first round of the Section 8A tournament play-in game at either Northern Freeze, Lake of the Woods, or Warren-Alvarado-Oslo. Climax-Fisher improves to 10-12 on the year and will host Fertile-Beltrami on Tuesday in the final match of the regular season.
J.V. – Climax-Fisher won 2-0 C Squad – Climax-Fisher won 2-0
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| Crookston | 21 | 20 | 25 | 14 |
| Climax-Fisher | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 |
For Crookston
Kills – Kasey Cwikla – 9, Jasmin Hanson – 7
Blocks – Emily Funk – 1, Kasey Cwikla – 1
Assists – Emily Funk – 12
Digs – Dani Boyle – 19, Emma Boll – 14
Aces – Jasmin Hanson – 5, Amelia Overgaard – 3, Kasey Cwikla – 3
For Climax-Fisher
Kills –Lindsey Kurz – 17, Ella Reitmeier – 10
Assists – Jenna Vasek – 33
Digs –Ellie Schmitz – 26, Jenna Vasek – 17
Aces – Ellie Schmitz – 4, Ella Reitmeier – 3
