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After winning only one Mississippi 8 Conference game in the past four years, the Chisago Lakes Wildcats are now tied for the conference lead with a 1-0 record beating Cambridge-Isanti 3-1  Thursday, September 6.

“Beating Cambridge-Isanti was a really exciting night for us. It was our first conference match of the season and our first conference win. Last year we won our first conference match in four years when we beat Monticello for our last game of regular season,” Head Coach Hannah Lindstrom said.

“Winning our first conference match of the season was huge for our morale. We haven't beat Cambridge-Isanti since I can remember – even before I even played here, I believe.”

The Bluejackets, who beat Chisago Lakes 3-1 last year, traveled to CL only to be sent home disappointed as the ‘Cats promising season continues.

Unlike their early season matches where they were on the brink of winning only to fall apart, the Wildcats kept their pedal to the metal in this one, winning the first two sets handily 25-18 and 25-15 before Cambridge-Isanti grabbed the third set 25-22.

Chisago Lakes didn’t fold however, bouncing right back for a 25-22 victory in the fourth set to start their conference season out on the right foot.

The middle hitters stepped it up offensively, with Lindsey Craig and Ashley Peltier each gaining eight and nine kills, respectively. Kennedy Phillips (OH) hit .606 on 33 attempts. Sophie Wood (RH) dominated on defense at the net with four solid blocks. Marina Roth (Libero) was definitely the player of the game though. She had 15 digs, four aces, and exceptional serve receive accuracy. “She's a leader on the court and her communication and work ethic set a strong example of excellent play and lead us all toward success,” Lindstrom said. “Overall, we brought a competitive energy and mental drive to win. The girls stepped up for our first conference match. We're excited to play more conference matches very soon, and most of them will be on our home court! We're hoping to feed off this first win as we head into next week.

The ‘Cats are now in the thick of their M8C schedule. They played Big Lake and Rogers this week before stepping out for a quick non-conference tussle with Anoka. They’ll be right back into conference play after that, however.

“I can't tell you how much this win means to our program,” Lindstrom ended with excitedly. “There were lots of screams and tears. We're really feeling a change in our program.”

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