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7AAA south

sub-section playoffs

Round Two-

St. Francis 3

North Branch 1

The North Branch Vikings were ready. Thanks to a jam-packed regular season schedule filled with teams like Lakeville, Duluth East, and Hibbing, a match-up with St. Francis wasn’t about to scare them, not one bit. It didn’t matter that the match was on the road. It didn’t matter that it was against the number one seed in the south sub-section. It simply didn’t matter because while the Vikings were busy playing top-notch competition, they became a top-notch team in the process. It was a tremendous battle.

Playing for the right to advance to the section 7AAA final four, the Vikings faced off with the Saints last Friday on the volleyball court.

Early in game one, North Branch made it clear that they meant business, grabbing an early lead. However, the Saints answered back, reminding the Vikings why they were the number one seed. St. Francis closed out game one with a flurry, grabbing a 25-23 win to go up one game to none.

After adding to their lead in game two with another tight victory (25-20), the Vikings finally got over the hump, giving the Saints a taste of their own medicine by starting fast and finishing even faster. North Branch won game three 25-21, pulling within a game at two games to one.

“After winning that game, I thought we had a chance because the players were re-energized and focused on winning two more games,” remembered Jim VanEerden, North Branch head volleyball coach.”

Unfortunately, the Saints only had to win one game to win the match, and they did just that in game number four. St. Francis took control right from the start and never let go. Despite a late Viking comeback, the Saints ended the Vikings season with a 25-20 win, completing a three games to one victory.

After the game, despite the loss, VanEerden had a hard time finding anything to complain about.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our team. They stayed together and gave the number one seed all they could handle,” commented VanEerden. “As the season progressed, our level of play really improved. I really want to thank the parents and the great fans for how they supported the team this year. We all had a lot of fun.”

That includes Jenny Anderson, who along with five other Vikings played their last volleyball game of their career. Anderson finished with 21 kills and 12 blocks. Kelsey Vichorek added 20 digs, and Megan Ranger finished the match with 10 kills, three blocks, and 22 digs.

St. Francis 3

North Branch 1

Game One-

St. Francis 25, North Branch 23

Game Two-

St. Francis 25, North Branch 20

Game Three-

North Branch 25, St. Francis 21

Game Four-

St. Francis 25, North Branch 20

7AAA south

sub-section playoffs

Round One-

North Branch 3

Forest Lake

Before they got to St. Francis, in the first round of the section 7AAA south sub-section tournament last Wednesday, the Vikings opened up with Forest Lake, the number five seed.

Early on, both teams showed their nerves, especially North Branch. Forest Lake took advantage of that, winning game one 25-18.

However, that was all the Vikings needed to settle down. From that point on, it was all North Branch. The Vikings evened the match in game two, taking the game 25-21, then followed that up with wins in game three and four as well. Individually, Jenny Anderson and Megan Ranger helped spark the comeback.

“Very strong performances were turned in by Jenny and Megan,” commented VanEerden.

Their statistics said it all. Anderson led the Vikings with 17 kills and 11 blocks while Ranger added 11 kills and 29 digs. In addition, Kaia Nyberg threw down eight kills, and Mandy Warzala finished with five kills and 14 digs.

North Branch 3

Forest Lake 1

Game One-

Forest Lake 25, North Branch 18

Game Two-

North Branch 25, Forest Lake 21

Game Three-

North Branch 25, Forest Lake 15

Game Four-

North Branch 25, Forest Lake 19

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