Yellowjackets 3, St. Catherine 1
ST. PAUL, Minn.: It was just over a week ago the Yellowjacket volleyball team dropped a five-set heartbreaker at home to St. Catherine. Friday afternoon, the Yellowjackets got a little revenge as they downed the Wildcats 3-1 at the St. Catherine Butler Center.
The victory got the Yellowjackets back on the winning track, snapping a mini two-match losing skid. The match also marks just the second time in the last six matches that the Yellowjackets played a match that didn't go five sets. For a time it looked like it could go that way, but more on that later.
The home team got off to a good start and took the early lead in the opening set. The Yellowjackets battled back and took the lead on a St. Kate's error.
Hannah Goggleye (Calumet, Minn./Greenway) followed with a kill, and the Yellowjackets were up 10-8. Later the Wildcats went on a run, taking eight of nine points to move ahead 17-12. The Yellowjackets battled back to within one at 17-16, but they wouldn't get any closer. The Wildcats again went on a run to get some breathing room. The closed out the set 25-20 to go up 1-0 in the match.
In the second set the Wildcats again came out hot, winning eight of the first ten points. It looked like they were going to run away with it before the Yellowjackets rallied, cutting the deficit to one at 15-14. The Yellowjackets came all the way back and broke an 18-18 tie on a
Megan Holz (Savage, Minn./Burnsville) service ace. The set stayed tight and the teams continued to trade points. St. Kate's led by a point, 24-23 before
Cami Sletta (Willmar, Minn./Willmar) hammered home back-to-back kills to give the Yellowjackets set point.
Taylor Howe (Webster, Wis./Webster) and Goggleye combined for a block to end the set and even the match.
As the third set unfolded the Yellowjackets flipped the script, taking five of the first six points to move ahead. The Wildcats came back and evened the set 11-11, but
Anna Ribich (Biwabik, Minn./Mesabi East) and
Ashlee Bayer (Cameron, Wis./Cameron) had back-to-back kills to put the Yellowjackets ahead once again. Later, with the score tied 15-15 the Yellowjackets went ahead on a St. Kate's error and never looked back. With the 'Jackets up 24-22 Howe got the kill to end it.
It looked like the fourth set would be a walk for the Yellowjackets, free of drama and tension, as they won 12 of the first 15 points to take a commanding lead. The lead surged to double digits and with the score 20-10 St. Kate's called a time out. Whatever was said worked, but the Wildcats came out of the break on fire. They took five straight points to cut the lead in half and force the Yellowjackets to use a time out. The break didn't do much, as the Wildcats continued their epic comeback. They got all the way back to within a point at 23-22 before a Bayer kill put the Yellowjackets at match point. An attack error ended it, giving the Yellowjackets the match at 3-1.
Howe and Sletta each had 13 kills.
Emily VerWay (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) had 47 assists, giving her 982 for the season and putting her just two-behind her career best of 984 set as a freshman. She also had 22 digs.
Karlie Leif (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) had a team-high 23 digs.
Up Next: The Yellowjackets (16-9, 10-1 U.M.A.C.) return to conference play Saturday against Martin Luther. The match is set to begin at noon in New Ulm, Minn.
