By Kevin Cederstrom
The Eagles volleyball team picked up its first conference win Sept. 21 with a 5-game victory over Sebeka at the Sports Center.
NY Mills started out strong, winning the first game easily 25-11, and looked to roll through the match. The Eagles stumbled, however, after game one and Sebeka came back to win the next two games 25-16 and 26-24 for a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Eagles regrouped and were able to win the next game 25-18 and edged the Trojans 17-15 in the fifth and deciding game.
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"Somehow the girls were able to dig deep and pull it all together to win the fourth and fifth games," said head coach Amy Koskela. "The girls didn't play as well as they are capable, which in turn caused the five games. We didn't communicate very well and lost momentum, but it's great to know once they start beating themselves they are able to get over that mental hurdle to come back."
Hannah Rutten led the Eagles with 14 kills and six blocks. Kristina Boe added 10 blocks and 27 digs. Brea Welter had 19 setting assists and Tessa Wegscheid finished with 17. Macailia Warner had 17 defensive digs and Emily Salo had 15.
As a team, the Eagles had an 89.7 serving percentage.
Bagley Tournament
The Eagles finished in seventh place at the Bagley Tournament Saturday, winning three games in pool play and beating Red Lake Falls 2-1 in the seventh place match.
During pool play the Eagles lost to Crookston, 2-0 (25-22, 25-20) and Clearbrook-Gonvick, 2-0 (25-13, 25-19). They tied Bagley, 1-1 (19-25, 25-15) and beat Red Lake Falls, 2-0 (25-21, 25-21).
The Eagles then defeated Red Lake Falls again, 2-1 (26-24, 24-26, 15-11) in the final match.
"We were a bit sluggish from the drive up there, but we pulled it together and played very wall as a team and were communicating," Koskela said. "As the tournament went on, I could see the girls were getting tired and not focusing on volleyball. We ran some great plays that day, but we didn't play up to our full potential."
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Coach Koskela said the girls are really pulling together and working hard during practices to make sure they are still learning new things. Koskela points out the Eagles front line is still strong and the serving percentages have been high. The passing game has been shaky at times, which affects the hitting, but the Eagles girls are learning to play "smart" and have court awareness to help alleviate the bad passes.
"Right now, I would have to say I'm pleased with the girls' performance as a team, but I don't think there can ever be enough communication on the court.
This week, the Eagles hit the road, playing at Pillager tonight (Sept. 28) and at the Bertha-Hewitt Tournament on Saturday, where they will face conference leader Bertha-Hewitt and Verndale, as well as Ashby, Eagle Valley, and Brandon-Evansville.
New York Mills travels to Verndale on Oct. 3 hoping to avenge a 3-2 loss to the Pirates earlier this season.
