The Stephen-Argyle Storm started the match on an 8-0 run and set the tone for the rest of the night in a 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-14) victory over the Crookston Pirate Volleyball team in Crookston.
SET ONE –
Stephen-Argyle scored the first eight points of the match and it started with a Chloe Solvik kill and followed by a Holly Jensen ace. After Crookston was called for a double-hit, Solvik and Jensen followed with a kill and ace respectively. Crookston gave the Storm two more points after passing errors and Megan Bolduc finished off the run with a kill for an 8-0 lead. “They knew they needed to come out hot and they did a great job,” said Storm Coach Karen Evans. “Serving was pretty good and we had our hits on so that was fun. It got everybody fired up.”
Crookston scored their first point of the set when Stephen-Argyle hit an attack out of bounds. Crookston slowly chipped away at the deficit and trailed 14-10 after a Mallorie Sundeen kill and back-to-back aces. “The girls started to see the other side of the floor better,” said Crookston Coach Ashley Stopa. “Mallorie did a good job and is a very smart volleyball player.” After Crookston served into the net, the Storm bounced back with kills from Solvik and Leah Johnson and pulled away for a 25-15 victory. “We saw some good things and we saw some things we need to work on,” said Storm Coach Evans. “Overall, it was a pretty good start.”
SET TWO-
Stephen-Argyle started the set with two Jensen service aces for a 2-0 lead. “They have some pretty good servers,” said Crookston Coach Stopa. “They got some good points early and got them going.” The Storm built an 8-2 lead, using kills from Bolduc, Grace Carlson, and Mooney. “It was another good start,” said Storm Coach Evans. “We have a lot of girls that can step up and get the job done.” Crookston climbed back within an 8-6 deficit after a Sundeen block and kill. Leading 13-10, Stephen-Argyle took advantage of a handful of Crookston errors and kills from Solvik, Mooney, and Bolduc to pull away for a 25-14 victory. “We finished strong and were able to get some other girls in,” said Storm Coach Evans.
THIRD SET-
The third set was close early on with ties at 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 but Crookston served out of bounds, had a bad pass, and another error, and Stephen-Argyle led 10-7. “We did a better job at the beginning,” said Crookston Coach Stopa. “We started to get a little tense and made some mistakes and that hurt us.” The Storm led 12-10 when Josie Rivard started a 6-0 run with a kill, followed by back-to-back aces from Jensen. The Storm kept rolling the rest of the set and won 25-14 to win the match 3-0. “It is tough to keep up the intensity and the girls got a little flat but finished strong so that was nice to see,” said Storm Coach Evans. “I was proud of the girls and how hard they worked.”
Crookston drops to 0-5 on the year and will host Thief River Falls on Tuesday. You can hear the match on KROX Radio and live-streamed on KROXAM.com or Youtube.
Stephen-Argyle improves to 3-1 on the year and will take on the Northern Freeze on Thursday.
J.V. – Stephen-Argyle won 2-0 C squad – Stephen-Argyle won 2-0
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Stephen-Argyle | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Crookston | 15 | 14 | 14 |
For Crookston –
Kills – Mallorie Sundeen-5, Libby Salentine-2
Digs – Emma Boll-5, Emily Funk-3
Assists – Emily Funk-8
Blocks – Mallorie Sundeen-1
Aces – Emma Boll-2
For Stephen-Argyle –
Kills – Riley Mooney-8, Leah Johnson-4, Chloe Solvik-4
Digs – Leah Johnson-11, Riley Mooney-10, Marey Kazmierczak-9
Assists -Holly Jensen-15, Megan Bolduc-7
Blocks – Grace Carlson-2
Aces – Holly Jensen-8, Megan Bolduc-3
