St. Catherine 3, Yellowjackets 2

SUPERIOR, Wis.: Less than 24 hours ago the Yellowjacket volleyball team played a five-set match that was both physically and emotionally grueling, against its arch-rivals from St. Scholastica. It was the second time this season the Yellowjackets and Saints went the distance, and it was also the second time the Yellowjackets emerged victorious.

Live by the sword and die by the sword is how the saying goes, and translated to the volleyball court, it could be live by the five-setter and die by the five-setter.

After last night's win the Yellowjackets were 4-1 in matches that go the distance. And after tonight, that record sits at 4-2. The Yellowjackets couldn't repeat the magic from the night before and fell to St. Catherine 3-2 before a raucous crowd of 186 at Mertz Mortorelli Gym. It marked the first time this season the Yellowjackets dropped a match on their home court.

The opening set was a marathon, and fans got the sense they were going to be in the gym for a while after watching the two teams combine for 62 points. Things were tight early before the Yellowjackets blew things open, taking an 11-5 lead on a Taylor Howe (Webster, Wis./Webster) kill. The Yellowjackets were able to keep the lead around six points for most of the set and appeared on the verge of closing things out quickly when the Wildcats rallied, coming back from a 20-14 deficit to take a 24-23 lead. The teams traded points, and chances to close the set before the Yellowjackets got the last two to take the opening frame 32-30.

St. Catherine came out hot in the second set and quickly opened up a 4-0 lead. The lead would bulge to 10-2 and the teams would again trade several points before the Wildcats opened up a double-digit lead, 20-10. The Yellowjackets went on a small run late, but it wasn't nearly enough and St. Catherine closed out the set with a 25-16 win.

It was the Yellowjackets who opened up the early lead in the third set, breaking a 5-5 tie on a Cami Sletta (Willmar, Minn./Willmar) service ace. A little later an Ashlee Bayer (Cameron, Wis./Cameron) kill made it 9-5. St. Catherine took over the set there and battled back to tie it at 10-10. The Wildcats would later break a 14-14 tie and never trailed again in the set. They ended the set on a service ace, taking the frame 25-19 and moving ahead in the match 2-1.

The Yellowjackets flipped the script in the fourth set. The teams battled throughout, having several lead changes and tie scores. Brylee Colligan (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) broke an 18-18 tie with a kill and the 'Jackets were off and running, winning six straight points to reach match point with a 24-18 lead. St. Catherine took a point, but then the Yellowjackets closed it out on a Howe kill, winning 25-19 and evening the match, 2-2.

With the match this even, it was only fitting that the final set would go down to the wire. The Yellowjackets opened up the lead early, but were never able to grow it beyond two points until a Hannah Goggleye (Calumet, Minn./Greenway) kill made it 10-7, but St. Catherine was able to get back to within on, 11-10. That's where the match shifted on a controversial call. The Yellowjackets thought it was 12-10 on a Goggleye kill, but the line judge was overruled, and instead of a two-point lead late, things were again tied. St. Catherine broke the 12-12 tie and got the lead to 14-12, eventually closing out the set and the match at 15-13.

Howe and Colligan led the Yellowjacket offense with 13 and 12 kills, respectively. They were the only Yellowjackets to reach double digits. Emily VerWay (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) had 47 assists. Colligan was also a beast on defense, turning in 25 digs. Megan Holz (Savage, Minn./Burnsville) had 16 and Karlie Leif (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) 15. Ashlee Bayer (Cameron, Wis./Cameron) had nine kills and six blocks.

Up Next: The Yellowjackets (14-7, 9-1 U.M.A.C.) will travel to Mankato, Minnesota for a pair of matches Saturday, October 6. They will take on Bethany Lutheran in conference action at 2:00 p.m. before playing a non-conference match against St. Olaf at 4:00 p.m.