ROCKFORD, Illinois - The Ridgewater volleyball team went 3-1, with a victory over the No. 4-ranked team in NJCAA Division III, at the Kishwaukee/Rock Valley Tournament over the weekend.
The No. 3 Warriors defeated fourth-ranked Harper Community College on Friday to open the tournament, then downed Moriane Valley.
On Saturday, the Warriors rallied from two sets down to defeat Blackhawk College before falling in four games to No. 10-ranked Rock Valley.
“This weekend was very beneficial for us and we made great progress,” Warriors head coach Joe Sussenguth said. “The tournament had a postseason feel to it and we competed very well throughout.”
Jen Puncochar and Brenna Olsen both finished the weekend with 41 kills, Tracy Braaten had 30 and Hailey Osland had 23.
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Kaitlyn Sterner had 122 set assists and she also served 15 aces. She also had 24 digs.
Facing top competition will benefit the Warriors, who have three MCAC matches remaining before opening play in the Region 13A tournament Nov. 7.
“Our four-day road trip was a physical and mental challenge, endurance-wise, and we handled it very well,” Sussenguth said. “I’m pleased with our level of play and we haven’t reached our peak yet.”
Ridgewater (17-7 overall and 10-1 in the Southern Division) hosts Minnesota West on Wednesday and Riverland on Saturday this week before closing out the regular season Wednesday, Oct. 29 in Coon Rapids against Anoka-Ramsey.
Ridgewater scores
Defeated Harper 25-21 20-25 21-25 26-24 15-10; defeated Moriane Valley 25-12, 25-14 25-18; defeated Blackhawk College 23-25 22-25 25-18 25-19 15-9; lost to Rock Valley 22-25 18-25 25-16 14-25
How Ridgewater Fared
(Key: good-attempts-aces)
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Serving: Jen Puncochar 38-49-6, Mary Kate Treinen 1-1-0, Ariana Hasti 3-4-0, Kaitlyn Sterner 69-76-15, Alexis Peters 35-40-3, Hailey Osland 53-58-9, Tracy Braaten 58-65-3, Catie Sherman 2-3-1, Brenna Olsen 68-70-3, Catie Kluver 1-1-0, Mikayla Jacobson 4-6-0 … Set assists: Kaitlyn Sterner 122, Tracy Braaten 5, Catie Sherman 1, Hailey Osland 3… Hitting: Jen Puncochar 97-115-41, Amber Skelton 1-1-0, Ariana Hasti 29-40-11, Kaitlyn Sterner 24-27-7, Alexis Peters 1-1-0, Hailey Osland 64-78-23, Amy Bolin 20-22-5, Tracy Braaten 66-77-30, Brenna Olsen 108-125-41 … Blocking (aces): Ariana Hasti 4, Kaitlyn Sterner 2, Hailey Osland 4, Brenna Olsen 2, Tracy Braaten 3 … Digs: Jen Puncochar 34, Mary Kate Treinen 2, Ariana Hasti 1, Kaitlyn Sterner 24, Alexis Peters 6, Hailey Osland 35, Amy Bolin 3, Tracy Braaten 11, Brenna Olsen 41, Catie Kluver 2, Mikayla Jacobson 56
