FDLTCC Volleyball Loses To Itasca CC On The Road

Sept 16

Dwight Cadwell-NSO

The FDLTCC Thunder’s inaugural season started out with such high hopes due to their first game victory, but since they have found it a struggle to stay on the winning track. Their struggle continued on Wednesday as the Thunder fell to Itasca CC in Grand Rapids. The Vikings swept them in three straight games, dropping the Thunder’s season record to 1-4.

Itasca Community College hosted the Thunder in their first road game in school volleyball history on Wednesday. “The fact our girls were nervous really didn’t help us,” coach Loran Wappes told Northland Sports Online. Wappes was filling in for head coach Mike Patenaude who was out of town for a work commitment. “I was nervous, the girls were also and we just couldn’t get the ship going the right direction.”

The Vikings would jump out and take the first game by a score of 25-8. “They came right at us in the first game,” Wappes commented. “There wasn’t an answer, we tried different rotations and nothing seemed to click on Wednesday…The girls would play a lot better in the next two games, but we just couldn’t get over the hump.”

The Vikings won the second game 25-15 as well as the third game with a score of 25-14. According to coach Wappes, it was the third game was the best one the Thunder played, even though they lost by eleven.

The Thunder has two tough tests this weekend. The first when they travel to Northland Community College in Thief River Falls on Friday to face the Pioneers, who sport a 9-4 record and the second when the Thunder will take on the 6-3 Central Lakes Community College Raiders in Brainerd on Saturday night. The match on Saturday will be part of the Raiders homecoming. The Raiders have Cloquet graduate Elora Meisner on the roster.

Dwight Cadwell can be reached at dwight@northlandsportsonline.com