By Amy Notch, Coach
After a rough week with two losses, the Cubs junior varsity volleyball team finished the Dassel-Cokato Tournament with three match wins to secure first place in the JV tournament.
This week’s match play started with a home contest versus the Annandale Cardinals on Tuesday, September 25th. The Cubs came out strong in set one, winning 25-21. In set two, the Cardinals prevailed 18-25. The third set went back and forth between the two teams, but the Cardinals finished with the win, 11-15.
On Thursday, the Cubs played their fourth CMC match of the season against Maple Lake. The Cubs struggled to establish their offense while the Irish capitalized on passing errors by the Cubs. Set scores were 12-25 and 16-25.
Saturday’s tournament featured pool play leading to head-to-head matches based on a team’s finish within the pool. The Cubs faced Dassel-Cokato, BOLD, and Sibley East in pool play. The other pool included Eden Valley-Watkins, St. Cloud Tech, Rockford, and Watertown-Mayer.
The Cubs opened the day with a close match versus tournament host Dassel-Cokato. The Cubs struggled to get going in set one, losing 15-25. In set two, the Cubs shined both offensively and defensively, winning 25-15. In set three, the Cubs led to 13, but miscommunication and tentative play led to a loss, 13-15.
In the second match of the day, the Cubs played BOLD. Again the Cubs started slow, losing 16-25. In set two, the Cubs again found their rhythm and won 25-14. In the final set, the Cubs dominated, winning 15-6.
In the final set of pool play, the Cubs had to beat undefeated Sibley East to have a shot at the championship match. Sibley East took the first set, 19-25. In set two, the Cubs again established a dominant offense and hustled on defense, winning 25-14. Set three was a back and forth contest with a lot of close calls. The Cubs stayed focused and played tough, winning 17-15. Using the tiebreaker established by tournament rules, the Cubs advanced to the championship match because of their win over Sibley East.
In the fourth and final match of the day, the Cubs faced the EVW Eagles. In this match, the Cubs opened with a first set win, 25-15. In set two, the Eagles capitalized on serve-receive errors and miscommunication by the Cubs in defense. Final score of set two was 25-15. The third set was another back and forth game. The Cubs opened up a lead at 11-8 and finished the match, winning 15-12. All players received gold medals for their first place finish in the eight-team tournament.
The Cubs are now 9-5 overall and 2-2 in the conference. The Cubs’ next match is Thursday, Oct. 4, at Holdingford. On Saturday, Oct. 6, the Cubs travel to Braham for another tournament. The final home match of the season will be a rematch against the Eagles of Eden Valley-Watkins during Homecoming Week.
JV volleyball wins DC Challenge tournament
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