UMC Volleyball Opens Up The Season With a Win

The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Volleyball team opened up the 2018 season with a 3-1 (25-19, 26-24, 16-25, 25-23) victory over Wisconsin-Parkside at the Wisconsin-Parkside Invitational in Kenosha, Wisconsin.  In the second match of the day, UMC lost to Purdue University-Northwest 3-1 (25-15, 21-25, 25-16, 25-21) to go 1-1 on the day.

UMC vs WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE

The first set had ties at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 before Parkside scored three straight points for an 8-5 lead.  UMC responded with a 5-2 run taking advantage of a couple Parkside attack errors and kills from Porsha Porath (Fresh. Windom) and Lauren Wallace (Fresh. Bloomington). The set was tied at 10, 11, 12, and 15 before UMC went on a 9-0 run four straight service aces by Callie Schapekahm (Sr. Eagan).  Parkside answered with four points before UMC won the set on a Parkside attack error to win the set 25-19 for a 1-0 match lead.
In the second set, Parkside broke open a 2-2 tie with five straight points behind a couple aces and some UMC errors for a 7-2 lead.  UMC stormed back with three kills from three different players combined with Parkside attack errors to tie the set at 8-8.  The teams were tied again at 9 and 10 before UMC had kills from Porath and Wallace to take the lead (12-11).  The set stayed close the rest of the way with ties at 21 and with UMC leading 23-22 they had back-to-back kills by Schapekahm and a Parkside attack error gave the Golden Eagles the 26-24 win for a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set was close with ties at 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 before Parkside built a 15-7 lead after several UMC attack errors.  Parkside held a comfortable lead the rest of the way to win the set 25-16 and UMC’s match lead was 2-1.
The fourth set was another hard-fought battle between the teams as they were tied at 1, 2, 6 and 7 before UMC went on a 4-0 run, taking advantage of four Parkside errors.  UMC held a 24-18 lead and might have been a little too comfortable with the lead as Parkside stormed back with five straight points to cut UMC’s lead to 24-23.  UMC won the set and match with a Parkside attack error for a 25-23 victory to win the match 3-1.  “I was very proud of how we came out as a team, we trusted our hard work and preparation and it paid off,” said UMC Coach Sarah Rauen. “It was great to see us fight back when challenged and I look forward to us continuing to get better with each game this year.”
UMC improves to 1-0 on the year and will take on Purdue University–Northwest at 5:00 p.m.   Parkside drops to 0-1.

Sydney Kruisselbrink sets up a teammate (Picture by Shawn Smith)

For Crookston 
Kills – Porsha Porath – 11, Sabrina Leuer – 9, Lauren Wallace – 8
Blocks –  Lauren Wallace – 2
Assists – Syd Kruisselbrink – 33
Digs –  Ali Schueler – 17, Katie Lienemann – 15, Alyssa Thomas – 11
Aces – Callie Schapekahm – 4

UMC vs PURDUE UNIVERSITY-NW

In the second match of the tournament, UMC had a great start with a 5-0 behind a couple kills from Kaitlin Sikkink (Jr. St. Charles) and another from Sabrina Leuer (Jr. Hamel).  Purdue bounced back with a 5-0 run of their own to tie the set at 5-5.  The set was tied at 6 and 8 before Purdue-NW jumped out to a 14-9 lead and slowly pulled away the rest of the set for a 25-15 victory.
The second set started the same as the first with UMC jumping out to a 4-1 lead before Purdue -NW bounced back to tie the set at five.  This set was different because the Golden Eagles took the lead behind a couple of kills from Leuer for a 9-5 lead.  UMC continued to pull away and built an 18-11 lead.  Purdue-NW didn’t go down without a fight and scored four straight points and a little bit later, they tied the set at 21.  UMC Coach Sarah Rauen called a timeout and whatever she said seemed to work because the Golden Eagles ended the set on a 4-0 run, including two kills (one each from Lauren Wallace (Fresh. Bloomington) and Porsha Porath (Fresh. Windom)) for a 25-21 win to tie the match at 1-1.
The third set didn’t start well when Purdue-NW jumped out to an 8-1 lead.  UMC settled down and answered with a 7-2 run with most of the points coming off Purdue-NW attack errors and UMC trailed 10-8.   The teams exchanged points before Purdue-NW scored three straight points to open up a 16-11 lead and slowly pulled away for a 25-16 victory to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
UMC needed a good start to the fourth set and they scored the first two points and started on a 4-1 run behind an Ali Schueler (Jr. Howards Grove, Wis) service ace, a kill from Wallace and a couple Purdue-NW errors.  The Golden Eagles continued their solid play and had an 8-4 lead after a Leuer kill.  Purdue-NW battled back and slowly climbed back and tied the set at 15.  Crookston retook the lead after a Porath kill, but Purdue-NW answered with five straight points for a 20-16 lead.  The Golden Eagles weren’t able to recover after the run and Purdue-NW won the set 25-21 to win the match 3-1.  “Overall on the day, I think we learned a lot about our team and we will continue to learn throughout the season,” said Coach Rauen. “I was happy with how we battled throughout both matches and how our team stuck together, and we will use the experience as we continue to grow throughout the season.”
UMC drops to 1-1 on the year and will play Bemidji State University at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. 

For Crookston 
Kills – Porsha Porath – 13, Sabrina Leuer – 7
Blocks –  Sabrina Leuer – 2
Assists – Syd Kruisselbrink – 25
Digs –  Lauren Ulibarri – 12, Ali Schueler – 11, Katie Lienemann – 9
Aces – Callie Schapekahm – 1