SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Yellowjacket volleyball team made its final regular season appearance on its home court Saturday, and typically you want those moments to last a little bit longer than normal, soaking in every last second and reflecting on the long season.
 
That was not the case Saturday, as the Yellowjackets made quick work of North Central, downing the Rams 3-0 in a match that was finished in just under an hour at Mertz Mortorelli Gym.
 
Prior to the match the Yellowjackets honored a pair of seniors seeing their last action at The Mertz – Megan Taylor (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Tech), who has missed the bulk of the season with an injury, and Elise Ertl (Phillips, Wis./Phillips). While Taylor was out of the lineup, Ertl finished her final regular season home match with a kill, two assists and five digs while playing strong defense in the back row.
 
The Yellowjackets got off to an incredibly fast start, winning the first 15 points to take an insurmountable lead in the first set. North Central closed the gap some, going on an extended run, but it was too little, too late and the Yellowjackets won the opening frame 25-18.
 
It was much the same thing in the second set, as the Yellowjackets won 13 of the first 14 points to again build an insurmountable lead. There was no extended run for the Rams this time, though, as the Yellowjackets cruised to a 25-10 win in the set.
 
Things were closer in the third set, as the teams went back-and-forth for the bulk of the frame. With the score tied 11-11, the Yellowjackets went on a 5-0 run to pull away. North Central pulled back within three, but the Yellowjackets closed things out, getting the final two points on kills by Kaylin Plautz (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) to take the set 25-20 and the match 3-0.
 
Plautz had a monster match for the Yellowjackets, attacking at a clip of .615 and finishing with a match-high 18 kills. Alexie Pryd (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove Senior) also had 10 kills. Megan Holz (Savage, Minn./Burnsville) finished with 33 assists and also had eight aces from the service line. She also led the Yellowjackets with nine digs.
 
The Yellowjackets will close the regular season Saturday, April 3 when they travel to New Ulm, Minnesota to take on Martin Luther. The opening serve is set for 1:00 p.m.