By John George
Despite having what head coach Amy Koskela called a successful year, the New York Mills volleyball season came to a disappointing end in the first round of Section 8AA playoffs last Thursday in a 3-2 loss to Frazee (19-25, 25-14, 26-28, 25-12, 15-11).
The Eagles got off to a good start, winning the first game, but fizzled in game two, allowing Frazee to tie the match.
"We were flat," Koskela said of game two. "There was no energy, enthusiasm or desire."
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Game three started the same way as the Hornets got out to a 10-point lead and had game-point ahead 24-16 when the Eagles found new life. Macailia Werner scored eight straight points at the service line to tie the game, 24-24. Frazee had another game-point, ahead 25-24, but the Eagles responded with two points to take the lead and eventually took the match lead with a 28-26 win.
"Game three was back and forth quite a bit, but on Frazee's game point (24-19) we finally came to life," Koskela said. "We had some long volleys that went our way, and we won."
That would be all the Eagles could offer as the Hornets went on to win game four and five to advance.
"Overall, we just didn't have the consistency or the communication to win," Koskela said.
Hannah Rutten led NY Mills with 11 kills and 18 blocks. Ashley Hagen added five kills and seven blocks while Kristina Boe contributed with six kills and five blocks.
Although the Eagles were disappointed with the way the season ended, this year was a good one for the team. They won their home tournament for the first time, finished third at the Bertha-Hewitt Tournament and had a winning record (14-8-4) after finishing with a 8-16 record in 2005.
"We basically worked together with one common goal, to improve from last year," Koskela said. "It was a fun season, but hopefully we can go further next year with some hard work and determination."
Frazee didn't last long in the 8AA playoffs as they lost Friday night to the Sub-Section's No. 1 seed, Wadena-Deer Creek, 3-1.
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8AA Championship set
Defending State Class AA champ, Lake of the Woods, upset No. 1 ranked D-G-F, 3-2, in one 8AA semifinal match Tuesday night. They will now face Wadena-Deer Creek, who eliminated West Central Area, 3-0, in the other semifinal match.
The finals, a rematch of last year's championship, will be played in Crookston on Nov. 4.
