Yellowjackets 3, St. Scholastica 2
DULUTH, Minn.: "We have 'em right where we want 'em." That has to be what the Yellowjacket volleyball team says in the huddle as it heads for a fifth set. A club with a flair for the dramatic, the Yellowjackets have needed to go the distance five times so far this season, meaning a quarter of their matches have been decided in five sets.
"We have 'em right where we want 'em."
The most recent five-setter happened Tuesday, as the Yellowjackets battled Twin Ports rival St. Scholastica, a team that it defeated 3-2 earlier in the year. And as the teams went to the fifth set, you could almost feel the sense of confidence coming from the Yellowjacket huddle, the feeling of having the other team exactly where you want them.
The Yellowjackets had a stretch where they won eight of nine points in the final set to pull away from St. Schoalstica and earn the 3-2 victory. The win marked the fourth time this season the Yellowjackets emerged victorious when playing a fifth set. The win also marked the third straight for the Yellowjackets, who are 9-1 in their last ten matches.
Early on it didn't look like five sets would be needed, as the Yellowjackets came out firing on all cylinders. After opening up a 10-3 lead it was only a matter of keeping the Saints at bay to take the early lead in the match. That's exactly what the Yellowjackets did, as they opened up a massive double digit lead before kills from
Anna Ribich (Biwabik, Minn./Mesabi East) and
Taylor Howe (Webster, Wis./Webster) put the set away, the Yellowjackets winning 25-14.
The Yellowjackets again opened up a commanding lead in the second set, with a kill from
Brylee Colligan (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) making it 7-2. The Yellowjackets lead would hit 9-3 before the Saints began to claw their way back. A big run in the middle of the set allowed the Saints to pull even at 13-13, and they would take the lead for good at 15-14. A 6-0 run late took all the drama out of the set, and the Saints evened things up with a 25-20 win in the second set.
As the third set unfolding the Yellowjackets again took a big lead early, using four straight service points from
Karlie Leif (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) to go ahead 9-2. The Saints hung tough and pulled back to within three, 12-9, but that was as close as they'd get in this set. The Yellowjackets built the cushion back up to eight points and used a
Cami Sletta (Willmar, Minn./Willmar) kill to take the third set, 25-19.
Once again the Saints bounced back, this time using the start of the fourth set to build up a sizable lead of their own. Several times throughout the set the Saints had an eight-point lead, and worked it just like the Yellowjackets did in the opening set, pulling away and holding on for the 25-19 win, setting up the deciding fifth set.
The fifth set followed a little different pattern as the teams traded points early. Down 6-5 the Yellowjackets got the break they needed, using a Saints attack error to tie the set 6-6. A Colligan kill broke the tie for good and the Yellowjackets pulled away, winning five straight points to move ahead 10-6. Setter
Emily VerWay (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) provided the kill to put the Yellowjackets at match point, and two points later they ended it, with
Hannah Goggleye (Calumet, Minn./Greenway) getting the kill to propel the Yellowjackets to victory.
Sletta posted a team-high 16 kills and had an attack percentage of .286. Goggleye had the same attack percentage and finished with 13 kills. Howe had 12 kills and Colligan 11 to go along with 13 digs. VerWay posted 57 assists, marking the fifth time she had at least 50 in a match. In two matches against the Saints, VerWay had 116 assists. VerWay also had 10 digs, one of four Yellowjackets to reach double figures. Leif led the team with 14. As a team the Yellowjackets had 20 blocks, led by Goggleye with seven.
Up Next: The Yellowjackets (14-6, 9-1 U.M.A.C.) will host St. Catherine in a non-conference match Wednesday. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m. at Mertz Mortorelli Gym.
