Yellowjackets sweep Thunderwolves, Lions

Alissa Autio with the kill against Lakehead.

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

For just the second time this season the Yellowjacket volleyball team had the chance to play on their home court, hosting a "triangle" on Friday afternoon against Lakehead University of Thunder Bay, Ontario and Finlandia University of Hancock, Mich. And when all was said and done, the Yellowjackets had another pair of dominating victories.

Yellowjackets 3, Lakehead 0

As usual, the match with Lakehead University was of the exhibition variety, meaning the game and all of the statistics within it would not count. Regardless, the Yellowjackets treated it like a normal regular season match, playing their regulars and quickly putting the Thunderwolves away by scores of 25-14, 25-19, and 25-19.

The Yellowjackets opened by rattling off seven consecutive points to build the early lead. Keely Deadrick (Esko, Minn./Esko) set up the second point of the run and then contributed four service aces to punch the Yellowjackets ahead. It was cruise control the rest of the way in the first set, as the Thunderwolves never closed to within seven points.

Things were tighter at the start of the second set before Mikayla Bock (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) got to the service line with the score 4-3 favoring the Yellowjackets. With kills from Deadrick and Jessica Zimmerman (Monticello, Minn./Monticello), the Yellowjackets opened up a 9-3 edge before Lakehead got the ball back. Later, with a nine point lead, the Yellowjackets let Lakehead back into the match and they closed the gap to five at 15-10. The teams traded points the rest of the way and the Yellowjackets closed out the set to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

The third set nearly mirrored the second, again getting off to a tight start. The teams traded points and Lakehead had a lead at 8-7 before a Kitty Tynen (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater) threw down three straight kills to give the Yellowjackets a two-point lead. Lakehead again came back to tie things at 10-10 before Zimmerman, Tynen and Deadrick reeled consecutive points to give the Yellowjackets the lead for good. The Yellowjackets won six of the final eight points to take the match.

Alissa Autio (Floodwood, Minn./) led the Yellowjackets with nine kills, while Tynen had eight Brooke Vonasek (East Grand Forks, Minn./East Grand Forks) had six. As a team the Yellowjackets finished with 33 kills and a .287 attack percentage. Deadrick paced the offense with 22 assists, followed by Bock who contributed five. Deadrick also had five service aces.

Defensively Lauren Peterson (Deer River, Minn./Deer River) had 14 digs while Autio and McKenzie Kanipes (Clayton, Wis./Clayton) had the two blocks in the match for the Yellowjackets.

Yellowjackets 3, Finlandia 0

In the match that counted, the Yellowjackets made quick work of Finlandia, tearing the Lions apart in just 45 minutes.

The Yellowjackets had an attack percentage of .364 while Finlandia was in the negative at -.067. The Lions had 14 kills and 19 errors in 75 attacks.

With the Yellowjackets up 5-2 Jessica Dvergsten (Greenbush, Minn./Greenbush-Middle River) served the Yellowjackets a pair of points before the Lions got back on the board. Then the Yellowjackets rotated Dvergsten back to the line and she served four more points to put the Yellowjackets up 12-3. With a ten point lead, Peterson took the ball and stretched the lead further to 17-7. The Yellowjackets then scored eight of the final ten points to take the set 25-9.

The second started off as the Deadrick show, where the junior setter took the ball and served the Yellowjackets to a 11-0 lead. After Finlandia went on a 6-2 run, Kanipes had a service run of her own, aided by kills from Zimmerman, Vonasek, and Autio as the Yellowjackets went up 19-6. The teams traded points the rest of the way and the Yellowjackets closed it out at 15-12.

In the third set the Lions asserted themselves more and made things a little more difficult for the home team, actually taking the lead early. The Yellowjackets rallied with the score tied 5-5 to open up a four-point lead. With Zimmerman serving, Kanipes, Alexis Landherr (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) and Deadrick racked up kills to put the Yellowjackets up 9-5. Finlandia came back and closed to within two at 10-8, but for the second time in the match Deadrick went on extended service run to help the Yellowjackets pull away. The took the third set 25-18.

Autio again led the Yellowjackets in kills with 11. She was the only Yellowjacket in double figures. Deadrick had 22 assists five more service aces. She also had a team-high 10 digs and added a block. Peterson added six digs while Zimmerman and Bock had five each. Autio and Dvergsten each had a pair of blocks.

In the other match of the day, Lakehead defeated Finlandia 3-1.

The Yellowjackets (12-5, 0-3 WIAC) have a quick turnaround and will host Crown College at Mertz Mortorelli Gym beginning at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday.

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Yellowjackets sweep Thunderwolves, Lions