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Vikings win three to run streak to four games, raise $1k at Dig Pink

North Branch 3, Robbinsdale Cooper 0

The Vikings traveled down to New Hope to take on the 8-12 Hawks of Robbinsdale Cooper.

The traveling part was getting to be a drag for the Vikings, as they hadn't had a home match since Septemeber 30, but they hung in and dominated the Hawks.

They took the first set 25-15, and it set an early tone for what would be a short night for Cooper. It was great to see us take control from the beginning with Cooper," Head Coach Kari Francis said. "We played focused for the entire match and beat them in three games."

After the 10-point shellacking in the first set, the Vikes cruised through the next two sets, winning 25-19 and 25-21. "We were able to make smart decisions and out-played them defensively," Francis also noted.

Sophomore middle hitter Jessica Merchant had 11 kills and junior outside hitter Rachel Barg had nine on the night.

They were lead defensively by senior Libero Morgan Leadens with 41 digs, and Barg added 17. Sophomore Emily Trunk pitched in with five aces on the night.

North Branch 3, Irondale 0

A trip down to Irondale was North Branch's last away game of the year, and with it came a sigh of relief.

The Knights put up much more of a fight than the Hawks, and at times, North Branch really struggled, especially in the first set, which they barely won 26-24. At one point, the Vikings were down 9-19, but they outscored Irondale 17-5 the rest of the way and found a way to scratch the win out. "It may not have been our brest match of the year, but we ended up putting the game together when we needed to," Francis said.

The second set wasn't as dramatic, as North Branch topped Irondale 25-18, but they returned to a nail-biter in the third set, with North Branch squeaking out a 25-22 win.

"We did not play our most constant, but no matter the situation we got ourselves into, we found a way to win and did it in three games," Francis said proudly after the match.

Outside hitter Jessica Lemmerman had six kills, and sophomore middle hitter Tayler Fertig had four.

North Branch 3, Forest Lake 0

It was North Branch's Dig Pink event against the Rangers of Forest Lake earlier this week.

"It was sea of pink!" Francis exclaimed after the game. "It was great to see all of the support for the Dig Pink breast cancer awareness."

Francis said that together, North Branch and Forest Lake volleyball were able to raise $1,000 for the Side-out Foundation through t-shirt sales and donations at the game. The coaches sent out a big 'thank you' to everyone who contributed.

As if that wasn't good enough news, the Vikings then went on to sweep the Rangers in the main event of the evening.

They won 25-23 in the first set, blew the Rangers out 25-12 in the second set, and finished them off 25-23 in the final set.

"After starting slow in game one, we started to pass and play defense more consitentley and that turned the match in our favor," Francis said. "In game two, we played focused from the very beginning and all the way to the end and took care of business.

"In game three, again we started slow but held on to finish strong. It was a great win against a region opponent which will hopefully help our seed for playoffs."

Lemmerman lead the night in the front row with 11 kills, Barg had six kills and Merchant and Fertig had five kills each.

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