SUPERIOR, Wis. – After a Texas road trip that saw it come home with a perfect 4-0 record, the Yellowjacket volleyball returned to Superior where it would open the home portion of its 2024 schedule Friday, hosting the first day of the Subway Stinger Classic.
 
The Yellowjackets finished the first day with a 1-1 mark, opening the tournament with a three-set sweep of Marian before falling in four sets to Mary Hardin-Baylor. With the split, the Yellowjackets are now 5-1 on the year.
 
Ayla Oltmanns (Gilbert, Minn./Duluth East) led the Yellowjackets in kills with 10, followed by Addy Gangl (Nashwauk, Minn./Nashwauk-Keewatin) with eight and Maiana Stark (Germantown, Wis./Germantown) with seven in the win over Marian.
 
Defensively, Sidney Smith led the team in blocks with four, while Jenna Anderson (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) had the team high of 20 digs.
 
Match Notes

• In the first set, Marian started early, as it went on a 4-0 un. Shortly after, the Yellowjackets answered with a four-point run of their own. Neither team went on long scoring runs in the set, but the Yellowjackets pulled away late to pull out the tough win in the set, 25-23.
• The scoring went back and forth between the teams in set two until the Yellowjackets started to pull ahead after a scoring run of four points, making the score 19-12. The 'Jackets carried the momentum through the end of set two, winning 25-15.
• In set three, the 'Jackets had to come from behind as the Sabres started quickly to lead 6-3. Makenna Hohbein (Holdingford, Minn./Holdingford), Stark and Gangl had kills, and combined with Marian errors, the Yellowjackets evened the score, 9-9. The 'Jackets made the score 15-10, but again Marian closed the gap, leveling the score 16-16. The 'Jackets went on another 4-0 run to lead 20-16 and held on to win the set 25-21.
• Gabi Schwirtz (Plato, Minn./Glencoe-Silver Lake) and Colleen Claude (Centuria, Wis./Homeschool) posted 14 and 10 assists, respectively.
• Hohbein had seven kills and 18 digs.

The second match of the day put the Yellowjackets face-to-face with a tough competitor in Mary Hardin-Baylor. The Crusaders came into the weekend having received votes in the latest AVCA Division III poll, but the Yellowjackets went point-for-point with them in a four-set thriller.
 
Mary Hardin-Baylor won the opening set 25-21, but the Yellowjackets bounced back in a convincing way, taking the second 25-16. The final two sets went past 25 points, with Mary Hardin-Baylor winning the third 28-26 and the fourth 26-24 to win the match 3-1 and stay unbeaten on the year.
 
Oltmanns again paced the offense for the Yellowjackets, finishing the match with 15 kills, while Claude led the team with 24 assists. Defensively, Anderson had another strong match, posting 23 digs.
 
Match Notes

• There were no scoring runs longer than four points in the first set, making it difficult for either team to come out on top. Gangl led the 'Jackets in set one with four kills, followed by Smith with three. Oltmanns and Hohbein had two apiece.
• In set two the Yellowjackets started hot, leading 7-2 early on kills from Oltmanns, Stark and Gangl. From then on the scoring continued to go back and forth as both teams had strong showings of their hitters with 22 kills in set two. The 'Jackets ended set two with a six-point run. Oltmanns led the 'Jackets with six kills, including three in the last six points.
• Both teams had three-point runs to start the third set, with the Crusaders taking a 3-0 lead and the Yellowjackets coming back. The score stayed even until the Crusaders went on a five-point run to open up an 11-8 lead. Undeterred, the Yellowjackets rallied to tie it at 19-19, and eventually take a 21-19 lead. From then on the teams went back and forth, with the Crusaders outlasting the Yellowjackets.
• The fourth set was another nail-biter, as the back-and-forth scoring continued this set. The Crusaders started off hot, going on a five-point run, but again the Yellowjackets slowly but surely made their way back into the set, evening the score 14-14. Neither team had a scoring run longer than three points the rest of the way, and in the end the Crusaders did just enough to defeat the Yellowjackets.
• Gangl notched 10 kills and had a season-high three blocks.
• Hohbein posted eight kills and added a pair of service aces.
• Stark (21) and Claude (20) joined Anderson in producing 20-or-more digs in the match.

The Yellowjackets are set to face Hamline University at 10 a.m. and College of St. Scholastica at 2 p.m. on Sept. 7 inside Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium on the last day of the Subway Stinger Classic.
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