SUPERIOR, Wis. – With six more matches taking place on two courts, Saturday marked the second day of the 2021 Subway Stinger Classic volleyball tournament. The Yellowjackets entered play Saturday with a 1-5 overall record, after splitting Friday, defeating Northland in five sets and falling to Nebraska Wesleyan in four sets.
 
Saturday followed the same script as Friday, as the Yellowjackets opened the day with a five set win over Concordia College before falling in the tournament finale in five sets to Macalester. The Yellowjackets now stand at 2-6 on the season.
 
Match 1
The 'Jackets started quickly Saturday, jumping out to an early lead. With a 5-4 lead in the opening set, the Yellowjackets went on a 5-0 run to give themselves some breathing room. They would keep the Cobbers at arm's length the rest of the way and cruised to a win in the opening set 25-18.
 
Concordia flipped the script in the second set, taking the early lead before pulling away. Up 9-7, the Cobbers won six points in a row to move ahead 15-7, but the Yellowjackets battled back with an extended run of their own. Rilie Kupka (Eagan, Minn./Burnsville Senior) started the run with a kill, and Maiana Stark (Germantown, Wis./Germantown) followed with a kill of her own. Hailey Atwood (Big Lake, Minn./Big Lake) added a pair of aces and Stark another kill to pull the 'Jackets back to within two at 15-13. Another kill by Stark later pulled the Yellowjackets even at 16-16, but the Cobbers took off from there and took the set 25-19 to even the match.
 
The score must have agreed with the Cobbers, as they took the third set by an identical score of 25-19 to move ahead 2-1 in the match. A Cassy Teff (Foley, Minn./Foley) kill put the Yellowjackets in front 5-4, but the Cobbers went on a 6-2 run to lead 10-7. Concordia pulled away with seven straight points and cruised to the set victory.
 
With their backs against the wall, the Yellowjackets came out hot in the fourth set, taking four of the first five points. They built up a five-point lead at 15-10 only to see the Cobbers come battling back. With the 'Jackets up 18-17, Superior took four straight points to build what appeared to be an insurmountable lead. Up 23-18, Concordia rallied for six straight to move in front 24-23 and sit one point from taking the match. An error evened the score 24-24 and Alexie Pryd (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove Senior) did what she does best, hammering home two kills to give the Yellowjackets the set, 26-24.
 
The deciding fifth set was back and forth early, but the 'Jackets went on a 6-1 run to give themselves a cushion with an 11-5 lead. Concordia pulled to within three, but the Yellowjackets took the final two points, taking the set 15-10 and the match 3-2.
 
Stark led the Yellowjackets, who attacked at a .132 clip, with 19 kills, while Teff and Pryd each had 10. Teff also had 18 assists. Defensively, Jenna Anderson (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) had a team-high 22 digs, while Atwood added 20.
 
Match 2
After a break, the Yellowjackets returned to the court to take on Macalester. The Scots opened the day with a four-set loss to Nebraska Wesleyan and were playing back-to-back games. The lack of a break sat well, as they came out and took the exciting first set 25-22.
 
The Yellowjackets fell behind early in the set but came back to take a 5-4 lead on a kill by Stark. They built the lead up to three points but the Scots erased the deficit to move ahead 11-9. Macalester went ahead 14-13 and never trailed again on the way to the opening set win.
 
Pryd started the second set with a kill to get the Yellowjackts on the board but Macalester quickly took the lead away. The Yellowjackets kept pace and never trailed by more than three points before coming back to tie the match at 16-16. Megan Holz (Savage, Minn./Burnsville Senior) served an ace to put the Yellowjackets up one, and Stark followed with a kill to make it 18-16. The Yellowjackets pulled away and held on late to take the set 25-23.
 
It was all Macalester in the third set. The Scots broke an 8-8 tie with a 12-0 run to pull away and win the set 25-14.
 
Like the first match of the day, the Yellowjackets found themselves with their backs again the wall heading into the fourth set. The fourth was another tight set, as the teams traded points and the lead throughout. The Yellowjackets took their first lead at 13-12 on a Pryd kill. Back-to-back kills from Pryd and Teff made it a three-point game. The 'Jackets led the rest of the way and closed out the set 25-19 to force another fifth set.
 
Macalester led from beginning to end in the fifth, taking seven of the first eight points, and closing out the Yellowjackets 15-5 to win the match 3-2.
 
Pryd had 15 kills, while Stark added 12 as the two Yellowjackets in double digits. Holz had 25 assists, giving her 47 in the two matches on the day. Anderson finished with a team-best 27 digs.
 
The Yellowjackets will have a week off and will return to the court Saturday, Sept. 18 when they travel to UW-Stout. The opening serve is set for 3 p.m. in Menomonie.