WILLMAR - The Central Minnesota Christian School volleyball team dropped a pool match to Willmar but rebounded in the bracket round and defeated Sauk Rapids in three sets to claim the Willmar Invitational Championship on Saturday.
CMCS also downed Benson and Renville County West in pool play, then worked a three-set victory against Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa in the championship bracket semifinals before defeating Sauk Rapids 25-19, 23-25, 15-12 in the title match.
The win over BBE, ranked No. 4 in Class A, was the Bluejays’ second victory over a top-four team in three days - they swept No. 2 Minneota on the road on Thursday - and marked the fourth time in a week the No. 10-ranked Bluejays defeated higher-ranked teams. They dispatched No. 6 Mabel-Canton and No. 3 Tracy-Milroy-Balaton and placed second in the Class A Showcase in Burnsville on Sept. 20.
“Overall, (Saturday) was a good day for us,” said CMCS head coach Terrin DeBoer, whose team plays TMB again on Tuesday. “The loss to Willmar was tough, but we definitely played a lot better after that happened and it was nice to see the girls beat another ranked team, as well as a Class AAA team in the championship.”
Willmar was 3-1, with three pool victories and the loss to Sauk Rapids in the championship bracket.
New London-Spicer was 3-2 and downed Renville County West and Benson in the consolation bracket.
Team scores
Pool A: Willmar def. Central Minnesota Central 25-19 25-18; Willmar def. Benson 25-22 25-17; Willmar def. Renville County West 25-8 25-23; CMCS def. Benson 25-9 25-18; CMCS def. RCW 25-17 25-11; RCW def. Benson 25-22 23-25 15-6
Pool B: Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa def. New London-Spicer 20-25 25-17 15-12; NLS def. Lakeview 25-12 25-14; Sauk Rapids def. NLS 25-17 25-21; BBE def. Lakeview 25-21 25-18; BBE def. Sauk Rapids 25-13 20-25 17-15; Sauk Rapids def. Lakeview 25-13 25-13
Consolation bracket: RCW def. Lakeview 25-23 25-16; NLS def. Benson 25-21 25-15; NLS def. RCW 25-19 25-19
Championship bracket: Sauk Rapids def. Willmar 25-19 25-18; CMCS def. BBE 25-22 22-25 15-8. Championship match: CMCS def. Sauk Rapids 25-19 23-25 15-12
How Area Teams Fared
(Key: good-attempts-aces)
Central Minnesota Christian School
Serving: Kalley Schwitters 36-39-4, Kendra Brouwer 14-15-2, Nicole Brouwer 36-38-6, Hannah Nelson 30-35-2, Natalie Brouwer 52-55-3, Lexi Scott 34-37-3, Erin Orred 31-33-5 … Set assists: Nicole Brouwer 293-301-131 … Hitting: Schwitters 47-55-23, Nicole Brouwer 11-12-5, Hannah Nelson 18-22-5, Natalie Brouwer 20-24-9, Scott 105-120-60, Orred 64-71-35 … Blocking (aces): Schwitters 2, Kendra Brouwer 1, Nicole Brouwer 4, Nelson 3, Natalie Brouwer 8, Scott 10, Orred 8 … Digs: Schwitters 28, Kenna Ulferts 9, Nicole Brouwer 11, Nelson 27, Natalie Brouwer 35, Scott 41, Orred 12
Willmar
Serving: Allie Roehl 38-39-9, Sarah Smith 8-9-1, Leah Ruter 22-24-4, Riley Grussing 27-29-6, Jamie Reyes 4-5-1, Emily Chermak 39-40-3, Esther Grussing 19-23-2, Addie Erickson 20-22-3 … Set assists: Riley Grussing 90 … Hitting: Smith 11-15-5, Dani Rosen 29-32-17, Ruter 67-81-33, Riley Grussing 11-11-5, Emma Rosen 8-12-4, Esther Grussing 25-33-14, Cami Sletta 26-32-19, Catelyn Haug 3-3-2 … Blocking (aces): Smith 6, Rosen 11, Ruter 6, Riley Grussing 1, Emma Rosen 1, Esther Grussing 6, Sletta 1 … Digs: Roehl 27, Ruter 14, Riley Grussing 14, Reyes 12, Chermak 12
Benson
Serving: Hanna Lindblad 34-37-7, Taylor Laumeyer 2-2-1, Kelsey Pederson 24-26-1, Addie Forbord 11-14-3, Shyanne Himley 9-12-1, Krista Motzko 16-18-1, Shaleah Schmidt 20-26-2, Megan Amundson 14-14-3 … Set assists: Lindblad 147-152-41, Forbord 78-79-19 … Hitting: Lindblad 15-18-5, Laumeyer 2-3-2, Kelsey Pederson 35-42-12, Sophie Ascheman 24-33-11, Himley 28-35-13, Motzko 47-58-16, Megan Amundson 12-17-2, Hannah Ricard 17-25-5 … Blocking (aces): Pederson 1, Ascheman 1, Ricard 4 … Digs: Lindblad 18, Pederson 25, Forbord 14, Motzko 26, Schmidt 11, Mady Krienke 19
Renville County West
Serving: Courtney Lindahl 22-25-3, Carina Zaske 30-33-5, Libby Groen 30-30-2, Kaylee Bratsch 17-21-2 … Set assists: Cassidy Fransen 279-283-65 … Hitting: Stephanie Wersal 50-62-25, Mikayla Pfarr 30-39-13, Lindahl 56-69-16, Emma Kronlokken 55-66-14, Anessa Seehusen 2-3-1, Malarie Thompson 11-13-3, Zaske 9-12-1, Groen 11-14-4, Lexi Bakker 4-7-2, Bratsch 3-4-2 … Blocking (aces): Fransen 4, Wersal 5, Pfarr 14, Lindahl 2, Kronlokken 2, Bratsch 2 … Digs: Fransen 26, Lindahl 31, Zaske 49, Groen 35, Bratsch 11
New London-Spicer
Serving: Sydney Stone 27-35-6, Kaitlyn Bergh 32-35-2, Kabrie Weber 20-25-2, Brooke Beuning 5-9-1, Alyssa Fredrick 35-37-1, Espi Austvold 19-23-1, Lindsay Vagle 20-21-1, Carley Cronen 22-24-1, Shelby Stehn 15-15-1 … Set assists: Austvold 179-188-61, Beuning 76-78-26, Cronen 33-34-8 … Hitting: Stone 101-114-28, Weber 67-80-33, Beuning 8-8-3, Fredrick 1-1-1, Austvold 9-9-3, Megan Thorson 37-43-10, Vagle 22-25-10, Erin Tebben 39-45-18, Brennah Bergh 23-29-9, Cronen 9-10-1 … Blocking (aces): Stone 1, Weber 5, Thorson 2, Tebben 2, B. Bergh 3 … Digs: Stone 19, K. Bergh 27, Fredrick 13 Austvold 18, Cronen 41
Hancock Invite
Yellow Medicine East won three matches and placed second at the Hancock Invitational on Saturday in Hancock.
YME won three pool matches before losing to Carlton in the title match.
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg also was 3-1, falling to Carlton in pool play and recovering to defeat Hancock in three sets in the third-place match.
Team scores
Yellow Medicine East: defeated Christian Life Academy 25-17 25-20; defeated Lac qui Parle Valley 25-8 25-10; defeated Hancock 25-17 25-20; lost to Carlton 20-25 15-25 (second)
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg: defeated Ashby 25-18 25-10; defeated West Central 25-14 25-12; lost to Carlton 26-24 17-25; defeated Hancock 19-25 25-14 15-10 (third)
How Area Teams Fared
(Key: good-attempts-aces)
Yellow Medicine East
Serving: Madison Hagert 24-24-2, Megan Odegard 13-14-4, Jordan Hinz 22-24-2, Rachel Johnson 11-12-4, Paige Steffen 36-37-6, Ali Miller 11-12-1, Makayla Dyrdahl 23-23-4 … Set assists: Kalli Knudson 106-117-41, Miller 73-80-26 … Hitting: Knudson 6-6-1, Chyanne Sand 34-37-12, Kelsey Sorenson 9-10-3, Hinz 43-47-24, Johnson 5-6-3, Steffen 25-27-9, Maggie Scheffler 21-25-5, Dyrdahl 46-59-25 … Blocking (aces): Sand 15, Steffen 5, Scheffler 5, Dyrdahl 8 … Digs: Hagert 20, Hinz 21, Miller 12, Dyrdahl 17
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg
Serving: Sam Gjerde 23-29-3, Kalli Forsell 21-25-1, Eden Norton 36-37-4, Libby Wilts 48-51-3, Ali Krieger 25-32-6, Mallory Carlson 3-3-1 … Set assists: Gjerde 204-205 (assists not available) … Hitting: Gjerde 15-16-7, Forsell 51-59-24, Kallee Anderson 57-60-27, Norton 58-71-20, Wilts 28-32-9, Krieger 11-12-1, Tori Everson 24-28-11, Carlson 4-4-1 … Blocking (aces): Gjerde 1, Anderson 5, Everson 1 … Digs: Gjerde 17, Forsell 18, Norton 22, Wilts 39, Krieger 49
