October 18, 2007 at 8:37 a.m.
Wildcat volleyball wins five before showdown with Totino
Wildcat volleyball wins five before showdown with Totino
"Being that coach Heidi Collins (Wildcat assistant) and I are both North Branch alumni and have relatives on the opposing side, this match was exciting to anticipate. The girls played well and got the job done," said Wildcat head coach Katie Larson.
The 'Cats followed the win over NB with wins against Columbia Heights (25-21, 25-21, 25-14), Fridley (25-18, 25-12, 25-16), Irondale (25-22, 25-15, 25-22), and Spring Lake Park (25-23, 25-18, 25-15).
A proud coach Larson said, "The girls have been progressing every day, taking steps in the right direction, up! They are on a five- match winning streak. Heidi and I have had many conversations with the girls regarding the great athletic ability on this team, as a whole, and continue to ensure them of the confidence we have in them to 'go all the way'."
Totino Grace at Chisago Lakes
The win streak set up a regular season ending matchup with Totino Grace Thursday, October 11. The Wildcats entered the match with Totino with a record of 13-4 and 8-1 in the NSC. The Eagles were 16-4, having won all nine of their conference matches. The winner could claim the conference crown.
Before the match with the Eagles, Larson said, " I believe this game will be a fight to the end and a ton of fun for the girls to play! This night will also be designated to honor the seniors on the squad, Krista Swanson, Courtney Christy, Linnea Osterberg and Sarah Reese. I consider all of the ladies on the team to be all-star players so it's very hard to pick out our solo MVP's. They really play together well and as a whole team."
Totino-Grace at Chisago Lakes
A big, boistrous crowd in the CLHS gym eagerly anticipated the showdown. And, at least for the first game, none of the Wildcat fans were disappointed. CL took the first game, but the skilled and athletic Eagles came back to win the next three to win the match and the NSC championship.
Game one was close the whole way, featuring 14 ties. An early Rachel Nelson hit helped the Wildcats break out to a 3-1 lead. But, Totino came back to take a 4-3 advantage. Ties at 3,4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 indicated the back-and-forth flow of the entire game.
The next tie, 11-11, was broken when Wildcat senior Krista Swanson buried a spike. That was followed by another tie score. Back-to-back Courtney Fautsch hits and a Sarah Reese ace helped the 'Cats take a four-point, 16-12 lead, the largest of the game.
After Totino ran off four in a row to tie it at 16, coach Larson took her first time out, hoping to stall the powerful Eagle offense. It worked for a while. Successive well placed Fautsch tips allowed CL to go ahead 19-16.
Once again, the Eagles took to the air. A series of high-flying spikes and a Wildcat serve into the net resulted in another tie at 20 each. Kills by Courtney Christy and Reese kept the 'Cats from falling behind until TG took a 23-22 lead, only their second of the game.
At that point, it appeared that Totino had captured the momentum. But, Wildcats in the front row grabbed it right back. A Reese kill as the ball came over the net tied it and two more blocks by Fautsch gave the home team the last three points in the game and a 1-0 advantage.
Game two was close at the start. The Wildcats stayed close, knotting the score at 3, on a Reese kill, and at 4, on a Fautsch tip, before TG took over. They scored 16 of the next 21 points, to take a 20-9 lead. A Mackenzie Maher serve found the floor to make it 20-10, but Totino ran off the last five points to tie the match at one game apiece.
In game three, the Wildcats fell behind 7-3 before coming back to 11-9. But, the Eagles controlled the game from there out. They outscored the 'Cats 14-3 to run away with game. The 25-12 win put the Eagles up two games to one, within one game of an NSC crown.
Totino took control of game four early, building a 9-3 lead. The Wildcats fought back to close the gap to one, at 10-9, but could never catch the Eagles. They went on a 10-3 run, building their lead to 20-12. From that point, CL never came closer than six points and Totino went on to a 25-18 win.
The four-game victory secured the match and the conference championship for the Eagles.
The Wildcats play in the Sartell-St. Stephen Invitational today (Thursday, October 18) before starting Section 7AA play Wednesday, October 24.
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