Bombers volleyball sweep Wrens

WRENSHALL – From start to finish, it took just 52 minutes.

Moving in rapid pace, the Barnum volleyball team needed less than an hour to dispose of Wrenshall for a 3-0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-10) Polar League sweep Tuesday night at Wrenshall High School.

The Bombers didn’t want to leave that early, they’re just that talented. And surprisingly, it was their first win of the season.

“We played better on the court tonight,” said Barnum head coach Corina Newman, who watched her girls get beat by Rush City and Cloquet already. “Our serving was much better, too. That’s our strength.”

Newman can give that credit to sophomore Kelsey Wickstrom.

In the first set, the standout middle hitter singlehandedly guided the Bombers (1-2) to the win with her unheard-of 16 straight service points, including nine aces.

“I was excited,” said Wickstrom with a laugh afterwards. “I was just doing what my coach was telling me to do. Just get it over the net. It was fun.”

Her senior teammate Jessica Newman agreed.

“It was fun to watch,” said Newman, who racked up a match-best six kills against the Wrens. “We talked in the locker room before about how we needed this win and now we’re starting to put the pieces together.”

The Bombers rolled through sets two and three inside the small, historic gymnasium, never really breaking a sweat.

“We just wanted to win one,” Wickstrom said. “We worked well as a team, but I think we can work on things a lot more.”

Junior setter Karianna Duesler added 12 set assists for Barnum.

“We’ve had some communication errors this year, but we were better tonight,” added coach Newman. “The girls are coming around and getting better each game as the season moves along.”

As for Wrenshall, well, they’re improving, said their coach.

“This is by far the youngest team I’ve ever coached,” said Wrenshall head coach Denise North. “They’re getting there and playing better.”

The youthful Wrens (0-3) had a number of blunders Tuesday. However, the team received solid performances from senior Helen Jurek and freshman Taylor Lund, who served a perfect 7-for-7 and 6-for-6 behind the line, respectively.

And though still looking to win their first set of the year, North remains optimistic and positive.

With more than 100 people in the stands Tuesday, so do the Wrens’ faithful followers.

“The girls have a good attitude and they’re having fun,” North said. “These girls want to be here, want to work hard, want to get better and they want to play.”

Barnum will have its home-opener Thursday when they welcome rival Braham before traveling to Onamia on Monday, while Wrenshall next hits the hardwood Sept. 16 in a conference clash at always-tough Silver Bay.

Tags: sports, volleyball, wrenshall, barnum