Volleyball Roundup

Cardinals cream conference rival Bulldogs

The Cardinals didn’t take long.

Paced by their consistent all-around play, Cromwell-Wright quickly dumped Carlton 3-0 (25-11, 25-16, 25-18) in a Polar League volleyball clash Tuesday night in Cromwell.

Brittany Johnson smashed six kills for the Cardinals (9-7), while Ann Collman added four kills and eight digs. Setter Brianna House dished out 14 set assists, while MaKayleigh Cahoon chipped in seven digs and was a perfect 10-for-10 serving in the league match.

“We’re coming around,” said Cromwell-Wright Coach Lori Wester. “That was probably the best I’ve seen us all year.”

The Cardinals have won four of six now, recently placing third at the Two Harbors Invitational last weekend by defeating the hosts and Duluth Denfeld.

No statistics were provided for Carlton (9-14), now losers of eight of their previous 10 matches.

Eskomos ease way past league foe Bombers

League juggernaut Esko simply overpowered their league nemesis by sweeping Barnum 3-0 (25-12, 25-7, 25-16) in a Polar League volleyball bout Tuesday evening in Esko.

Esko’s fast-paced offensive attack was stellar, rarely missing a beat in the drubbing. Setter Stephanie Miller paced the Eskomos (17-3) with 20 set assists, while St. Cloud State University-bound Stephanie Bandelin pounded home 10 kills and recorded five ace serves and three blocks.

“The girls had a good night,” said Esko Coach Desiree DeLeon. “We can still get stronger, improve and get more consistent, but we’re heading in the right direction at the right time.”

Esko hasn’t lost a conference match since 2009, when Barnum knocked them off.

Barnum Coach Corina Newman noted her Bombers were paced by Allainie Hanek-Siltanen’s eight kills, while MJ Anderson added four. Setter Karianna Duesler posted 11 set assists, while Sage Miletich had 11 digs.

Barnum (3-17) defeated Braham on the road Monday night 25-21, 25-19, 14-25, 18-25, 15-11, in arguably their most-exciting match of the fall.

Rebels rally past Wrens in Polar League thriller

Intensity best described the scene in Moose Lake Tuesday.

Moose Lake-Willow River out-dueled Wrenshall for a thrilling 3-1 (26-28, 25-15, 26-24, 25-23) Polar League volleyball victory.

The match’s excitement rarely took a breather.

“It was crazy,” said first-year ML-WR Coach Beckie Jackson. “It’s homecoming week here, and it was so nice for the girls to finally finish a match. This was a big accomplishment for us.”

The win was the first in the Polar League for the Rebels (2-18), as it snapped their previous 15-match losing streak overall. Jackson noted Olivia Bennett paced their offensive attack with nine kills, while Adri Jusczak added five in the win.

Miranda Jacobson and Erin Mollberg combined for 14 set assists for ML-WR, Haley Johnson had six digs and two blocks, Kayla Radel posted a pair of blocks, and Joelene Eaton led all players with five ace serves.

No statistics were provided for Wrenshall (0-12), which remains winless this season.

Fond du Lac Ojibwe remains busy, falls to LCA

A tortoise-like start for the Fond du Lac Ojibwe School paved the way to a 3-0 (25-12, 25-7, 25-22) non-conference loss to Lakeview Christian Academy Tuesday night in Cloquet.

“We started slow and just couldn’t change gears,” said longtime Ogichidaa Coach Dale Sautbine, whose girls have remained busy this fall.

FDL (4-6) has defeated Indus twice, including a sweep at home last Thursday, while they added wins over Maranatha Academy of Superior, Wis., and Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School earlier this fall.

Tuesday, a match shifted to the Ojibwe School because of gym problems at LCA, the Ogichidaa were led by Shana Peacock’s five kills, while Francene LaDeaux added a pair. Sautbine also noted that Jaelisa Northrup posted two ace serves and a kill in defeat.

College: FDLTCC gets first conference win

There’s a first time for everything.

That time came last Wednesday for the Thunder when they knocked off host Vermilion Community College 3-2 (18-25, 27-25, 25-21, 20-25, 15-12) in Ely, for the first Minnesota College Athletic Conference victory in school history.

Holly Nelson led the offensive attack with 19 kills and five blocks, while Katrina Anderson chipped in eight kills. Rita Aspinwall dished up 35 set assists and had 23 digs defensively, while Rachel Sanda boasted 36 digs, Jenna Shanda had 25 and Dayna Elmer 18.

Since the win, FDLTCC (3-16 overall, 1-9 conference) has lost to Rainy River and Hibbing. They’ll host Northland Friday, Central Lakes Saturday and Mesabi Wednesday.