The Crookston Pirates volleyball team started slow but battled the rest of the way in a 3-0 (25-15, 25-28, 25-21) loss to the Bagley Flyers in a match played at Bagley High School.
FIRST SET
Bagley got ahead quickly in the opening set, scoring the first four points before Crookston got on the board with a kill from Naomi Johnson. The Flyers had some issues serving, with four of Crookston’s first nine points coming via service error, but crucial kills by Sadie Fultz and Kira Thompson of Bagley propelled the Flyers to a 25-15 win in set 1.
SECOND SET
Tied at 3 and then 4, Bagley rattled off 4 straight points before Crookston went on a 5-1 run to tie it at 9. Both teams scored four more points to tie it back up again at 13. The Flyers then, with the help of Thompson again, got out to a 17-14 lead before Mackenzie Funk capped off a 4-0 run to give Crookston their first lead of the match at 18-17. Bagley immediately tied it back up at 18, and proceeded to score three more in a row to build the lead back up to three at 21-18. The Flyers didn’t stop there, as a sensational individual effort by Bagley Freshman MaKalyn Hoie propelled the Flyers to a 25-18 set win, scoring the last 8 points in a row to take a 2-0 lead.
THIRD SET
The third match began with more of the same, with Bagley scoring the first two points of the match before yet another service error. Crookston used that momentum to score four straight points to make it 4-2. Bagley then went on their own 4-2 run to then tie it at 6. The score was then tied at 8, 10, 11, 12, and 13 before Crookston racked up two points to take only their second multi-point lead of any set. After Bagley called time, they went on a 7-2 run to lead 20-17. Bagley then continued with consistent play, defeating Crookston 25-21 in the third set, to win the match 3-0.
Crookston drops to 0-1 on the year and will travel to Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdahl on Tuesday. You can hear the match on KROX Radio. Bagley starts their season with a record of 1-0.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Crookston | 15 | 18 | 21 |
| Bagley | 25 | 25 | 25 |
For CROOKSTON
Kills – Joey Nesseth 3, Mackenzie Funk 3, Rhianna Moore 3
Blocks – Rhianna Moore 1
Digs – Mackenzie Funk 11, Rylinn Aubol 8, Joey Nesseth 7
Assists – Makenna Kopecky 5
Aces – none
