The Crookston Pirate Volleyball team won their first set since the first match of the year, but the Mahnomen-Waubun Thunderbirds won 3-1 (25-20, 25-20, 19-25, 25-12) in a match played at the Mahnomen High School gymnasium.
FIRST SET –
The teams came out strong, and Crookston’s Emma Boll had two service aces to give her team a 2-1 lead. The teams were tied at 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 before Mahnomen-Waubun built a 16-12 lead. Emma Boll gave the Pirates a spark with a kill and an ace to get within a 16-14 deficit. Crookston couldn’t keep the momentum going and had five straight errors, and Mahnomen-Waubun led 21-14 and held on for a 25-20 victory. “There were a lot of balls that they were able to get to, and we were a little out of sync,” said Pirate Coach Stopa. “I am proud of the way the girls played.”
SECOND SET-
Mahnomen-Waubun started the second set strong by taking a 16-3 lead. Crookston finally settled down when Rylee Solheim and Emma Boll had back-to-back kills to spark a 7-0 run to bring the Pirates within a 16-10 deficit. “Rylee Solheim did a good job of swinging and being aggressive tonight,” said Coach Stopa. The team played even for a while, and Mahnomen-Waubun led 20-13 when Crookston started to slowly chip away at the deficit with kills from Libby Salentine and Mallorie Sundeen. Even though Crookston finished the set strong, the early 13 point deficit was too much to recover from, and Mahnomen-Waubun won 25-20. “I would say the one thing the girls always do is battle,” said Coach Stopa. “They never gave up, and it that was great to see.”
THIRD SET –
Crookston took a 3-0 lead with two Emily Funk kills and a combo block from Solheim and Libby Salentine. The teams were tied at 4 and 6 before Crookston regained the lead with two Solheim aces and a Sundeen block for a kill, and the Pirates led 9-6. Crookston led 13-10 when Hannah Loraas had a kill, followed by Solheim’s back-to-back kills for a 16-10 lead. Mahnomen-Waubun battled back to get within a 19-17 deficit, but Crookston responded with kills from Solheim and Sundeen, and the Pirates led 24-19 when Boll served an ace for a 25-19 victory. It was the first set win for Crookston since the first set of the season. “We came out strong with some good serving,” said Coach Stopa. “I was happy with how well we played and communicated in that set.”
FOURTH SET –
Mahnomen-Waubun had a strong start for an 8-3 lead, and after the Pirates had a point after a Sundeen kill, the Thunderbirds answered with five straight points for a 13-4 lead. Crookston wasn’t able to recover, and Mahnomen-Waubun cruised to a 25-12 victory to win the match 3-1. “I think we might have run out of gas,” said Coach Stopa. “We had another slow start, and this time we couldn’t recover.”
Crookston drops to 0-8 on the year and is scheduled to play at Bagley on Tuesday, November 10. Mahnomen-Waubun improves to 2-4.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| CROOKSTON | 20 | 20 | 25 | 12 |
| Mahnomen-Waubun | 25 | 25 | 19 | 25 |
For Crookston –
Kills – Mallorie Sundeen-4, Rylee Solheim-2, Chloe Bruley-2
Digs – Amber Cymbaluk-9, Rylee Solheim-6
Assists – Libby Salentine-8
Blocks – Mallorie Sundeen-2
Aces – Rylee Solheim-4, Emma Boll-3
For Mahnomen-Waubun –
Kills – Hannah Worms-8, Kendra Syverson-6
Blocks – Hannah Worms-5
