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UWS opens Stinger Classic with Win

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NSO – NEWS RELEASE

 

Superior 3, Maranatha Baptist 1

For the Yellowjacket volleyball team, the magic number in 2014 has been five. Five, as in five sets, the maximum number in a volleyball match. Heading into Friday night the Yellowjackets were forced to go the distance eight times, including each of the last three matches. And in seven of those matches, they have come up on the short end. In other words, they didn’t want to take Friday’s match, the opener of the 2014 Stinger Classic, to five sets.

Standing in the way Friday was Maranatha Baptist University, who came to town with a 23-5 record. There were some tense moments as the Yellowjackets fell behind early and struggled to seal the deal, but in the end the Yellowjackets had what it took to outlast the Sabrecats and pick up the hard-fought 3-1 win.

The Yellowjackets were strong in the early going, making things look easy as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the opening frame. Three of the four points came courtesy of kills from Yellowjacket front row basher Stephanie Bandelin (Esko, Minn./Esko). After the teams traded points Leah Nightingale (Dayton, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret’s) posted back-to-back kills helping the Yellowjackets open a six-point edge, 10-4. Later, an ace from Alexis Landherr (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) gave the Yellowjackets a 17-12 lead, but that’s when things changed and the Sabrecats came flying back. Maranatha Baptist proceeded to score 10 of the next 12 points and blow by the Yellowjackets to a lead of 22-19. The Yellowjackets would score the next two points to pull back to within one, but the Sabrecats took the final three to close out the set 25-22.

Maranatha Baptist kept the momentum rolling to start the second set, winning four of the first five points to grab the early lead. The two-pronged attack of Bandelin and Vicki Vinokur (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) quickly erased the lead with three straight kills, before a Sabrecat error put the Yellowjackets ahead. The lead was short-lived, however, as a 5-0 run again gave the Sabrecats a four-point lead. After stopping the run and regaining control of the serve, Bandelin served the Yellowjackets to four points in a row and the Yellowjackets moved ahead. With the score later tied 12-12, the Yellowjackets finally put a run together to pull away. A kill by Gabrielle Olson (Menomonie, Wis./Menomonie) broke the tie, and three kills from Bandelin moved the Yellowjackets ahead 19-13. Maranatha Baptist would close to within one at 22-21, but the Yellowjackets would take three of the final four points, including the last one on a kill from Nightingale to close out the set, 25-22 and even the match.

It was all Yellowjackets in the third set. After taking the first three points the Yellowjackets built a big cushion, leading 9-2. Once again, however the Sabrecats slowly started to climb back into things. They were able to close the deficit to five, at 17-13, but then their game unraveled. Three straight errors pushed the Yellowjacket lead back up to seven. The Sabrecats would earn just two more points and the Yellowjackets cruised, using a Keely Deadrick (Esko, Minn./Esko) kill to close out the set, 25-15.

It marked the fourth match in a row that the Yellowjackets held a 2-1 lead. The previous two victory escaped them, but that would not be the case in this one, and it wasn’t going to be easy.

The teams traded points like boxers trading punches in a title fight. The Yellowjackets led or were tied until the Sabrecats moved ahead at 6-5. The Yellowjackets quickly overcame the deficit and a pair of Sabrecat errors gave them a lead. They pushed the lead to four (13-9) thanks to a series of kills featuring Bandelin and Nightingale, but Maranatha Baptist kept fighting and eventually pulled even at 17-17. The Sabrecats took their first lead of the set at 19-18, but a Vinokur kill and a Sabrecat error put the Yellowjackets back in front. Maranatha Baptist came back and tied the score at 20-20, again at 21-21, and still again at 22-22, making the home crowd think that once again, the Yellowjackets would need a fifth set. But the Yellowjackets dug deep and found the moxie to close the match out. A Bandelin kill gave the Yellowjackets the lead. A service ace from Deadrick sent it to match point, and a kill by Anna Hendrix (Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Cooper) put the exclamation point on the evening, as the Yellowjackets won the set 25-22 and the match 3-1.

Bandelin was her usual self, finishing the night with an attack percentage of .200 and a match-high 20 kills. Nightingale was next with 13 kills and led the Yellowjackets with an attack percentage of .241. As a team the Yellowjackets attacked at a clip of .157. Deadrick reached the 50-assist mark for the third time on the season, finishing the night with 52, and picking up the 4,000th assist of her career in the first set. She is just the second Yellowjacket all-time to have at least 4,000 assists in her career.

On defense the Yellowjackets had four players in double digits in digs, led by Chelsey Walerius (New Prague, Minn./Tri-City United) who finished with 23. Jordan Olson (Cohasset, Minn./Grand Rapids) added 17 digs while Bandelin and Deadrick had 15 and 13, respectively.

Alison Renz had 10 kills, Pam Borchardt had 25 assists and Samantha Swiatek had 26 digs to lead Maranatha Baptist.

The Yellowjackets (9-19, 1-4 WIAC) will host the second day of the 2014 Stinger Classic at Mertz Mortorelli Gym Saturday. They will take on Northland College at 10:00 a.m. and Bethany Lutheran College at 12:00 p.m.

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