Yellowjackets 3, Finlandia 1
After a season-opening road trip to Texas, the Yellowjacket volleyball team made its home debut Wednesday night, taking on Finlandia University at Mertz Mortorelli Gym. And following a slow start, the Yellowjackets caught fire and cruised to a four-set win over the Lions.
The first set provided the most drama of the night, with the teams going back and forth early. Up a point, the Lions went on a pair of four point runs to open up a 16-9 lead. The Lions appeared to have the set in the bag, leading 24-16 before a service error gave the Yellowjackets a point and sent
Emily VerWay (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) to the line. VerWay proceeded to serve the Yellowjackets to six straight points and pull the home team to within one, 24-23. On the verge of watching their lead disappear, Finlandia called timeout and whatever they talked about worked, as the Lions scored the next point and secured the first set of the match.
Early in the second set the teams were knotted at three when
Megan Holz (Savage, Minn./Burnsville) headed to the line. Kills by
Ashlee Bayer (Cameron, Wis./Cameron),
Elise Ertl (Phillips, Wis./Phillips) and
Taylor Howe (Webster, Wis./Webster) went along with a pair of aces by Holz to stake the Yellowjackets to a 9-3 lead. More than once Finlandia was able to claw its way back to within one, but the Yellowjackets refused to break. A pair of errors by the Lions helped the Yellowjackets close out the set by a score of 25-21.
As the third set unfolded the Yellowjackets began to exert their will after breaking a 4-4 tie, winning nine of the next 10 points to open up a commanding lead. They kept the momentum rolling and closed out the set on a
Cami Sletta (Willmar, Minn./Willmar) service ace, taking the frame 25-10 and moving ahead in the match 2-1.
In the fourth set the Yellowjackets once again moved ahead early, and just like the first and second sets Finlandia came back, eventually taking an 11-10 lead. The Yellowjackets would break a 13-13 tie on a kill from Howe, and then
Karlie Leif (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) would serve the Yellowjackets to a 19-13 advantage. The Lions would pull to within three at one point late, but that's as close as they would get. Howe went up for the kill and got it, giving the Yellowjackets a 25-20 win in the set and a 3-1 victory on the night.
The Yellowjackets employed a balanced attack in the match, getting nine kills apiece from Sletta, Howe, and
Brylee Colligan (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji). VerWay was once again herself on the front line, finishing the match with 33 assists. On defense Leif led the Yellowjackets with 21 digs, while Holz and Ertl also hit double digits, turning in 13 and 12, respectively.
Up Next: The Yellowjackets (2-3, 0-0 U.M.A.C.) will be home Friday and Saturday, hosting their annual Stinger Classic tournament. Games begin at 3:00 p.m. Friday and 11:00 a.m. Saturday.
