The Fertile-Beltrami Falcons used some big attacks and some scrappy play to beat the Crookston Pirate Volleyball team 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 28-26) Saturday afternoon match played at the Fertile-Beltrami High School gymnasium.
SET ONE –
Fertile-Beltrami came out strong and took a 4-0 lead behind a kill from Marin Roragen and back-to-back aces from Aubree Swenby. The Falcons led 8-4 when they went on a 7-0 run, powered by a couple of kills by Aubree Steffes for a 14-4 lead. “We came out pretty strong, and that was nice to see,” said Falcon Coach Kerri Solie. “I thought our passing was spot on, and they were hungry and ready to go. The girls were gelling out there.” Crookston was trailing 18-9 when they went on a 6-0 run while taking advantage of five Fertile-Beltrami errors to get within an 18-15 deficit. “I was happy with how the girls responded,” said Pirate Coach Ashley Stopa. “We picked up our play, and we kept fighting.” Fertile-Beltrami recovered and was sparked by two kills from Marin Roragen. The Falcons finished the set with kills from Aubree Swenby and Aubree Steffes for a 25-19 win. “That was fun to see us hold them off,” said Falcon Coach Solie. “That was great to get the first win, and it set the tone for our girls.”
SET TWO-
The teams battled back-and-forth and had 11 ties (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, and 14). “It was a good back-and-forth start,” said Coach Stopa. Fertile-Beltrami ended the set on an 11-3 run that was sparked by kills from Swenby and Steffes. The Falcons finished the set strong with three kills from Swenby and won the set on a Brooklyn Strem ace for a 25-17 win. “It was a good battle back-and-forth, and both teams were scrappy,” said Falcon Coach Solie. “Finishing strong was nice to see, and we talk to the girls about playing strong every single point.”
SET THREE-
Crookston jumped out to a 6-0 lead behind three straight service aces from Emily Funk. “Emily served well for us,” said Coach Stopa. “The girls came out ready to go and had some nice plays.” Fertile-Beltrami answered with a 9-1 run behind three kills by Roragen to take a 9-7 lead. “It was exciting to see the girls respond this early in the season,” said Coach Solie. The teams were tied at 12 and 13 before Crookston slowly built a 20-14 lead with some nice kills from Mallorie Sundeen and Rylee Solheim. Crookston led 24-18, and it looked like a fourth set was coming. “I noticed we got nervous,” said Coach Stopa. Crookston served out of bounds, Abby Ranz and Swenby had back-to-back kills, Crookston hit the net, Roragen followed with a kill, and Taylor Miller served an ace to tie the set at 24. The Falcons serve went into the net, but Steffes followed with a kill and a block for a kill to give Fertile-Beltrami a 26-25 lead. The Falcons had a bad pass, and the set was tied at 26 before Steffes had another kill. On the next point, Crookston was penalized for hitting the net, and Fertile-Beltrami was 28-26 to win the match 3-0. “Everybody on the floor contributed towards the end fo the set,” said Coach Solie. “Aubree Steffes has really grown as a player, and she has become a good leader on the team,” said Coach Solie.
Crookston drops to 0-2 on the year and will host Sacred Heart on Monday evening. “I thought we played better today, and Fertile-Beltrami was scrappy and played very well,” said Coach Stopa. “They are a good team, but I thought our girls played better today, and that was great to see.”
Fertile-Beltrami improves to 2-0 and will travel to Red Lake County Central on Monday.
J.V. – Crookston won 2-1 C Squad – Fertile-Beltrami won 2-0
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| CROOKSTON | 19 | 17 | 26 |
| Fertile-Beltrami | 25 | 25 | 28 |
For Crookston
Kills – Rylee Solheim-4, Mallorie Sundeen-4
Blocks – Hannah Loraas-2
Assists – Emily Funk-6, Libby Salentine-5
Digs – Emma Boll-9, Mallorie Sundeen-5
Aces – Emily Funk-3, Amber Cymbaluk-1
For Fertile-Beltrami
Kills – Marin Roragen-12, Aubree Steffes-8, Aubree Swenby-8
Blocks – Aubree Steffes-2
Assists – Aubree Steffes-14, Taylor Miller-12
Digs – Aubree Steffes-13, Marin Roragen-10, Aubree Swenby-10
Aces – Aubree Swenby-3, Marin Roragen-2, Taylor Miller-2
