Dillon Hogan/Winonan
The Winona State University volleyball squad ended their regular season over the weekend with the final two games against the University of Minnesota, Crookston on Nov. 15 and Bemidji State on Nov. 16.
Against Minnesota Crookston, the Warriors dropped three straight games for a 3-0 loss to Crookston. In the first set for the Warriors, an 18-3 run by Crookston erased an early 7-6 lead by the Warriors and cost the set.
A much closer second set was in store for the Warriors, but Crookston took a late surge and secured the win. 15 times throughout the second set, the score was tied up and the Warriors were up 24-23 before giving up the next two points to Crookston and losing 26-24.
Another close set was again a loss for the Warriors as they lost a late lead to a Crookston run in the third and final set. Up 20-19, the Warriors gave up a Crookston run for the 25-20 loss in the set to give Crookston the match victory as well.
As a team, the Warriors struggled on the offense, hitting .008 as a team and giving up a .216 hitting percentage to Crookston.
On the offensive side, Rachel Polland finished with eight kills for the Warriors, and Kylea Roeglin led with a .300 hitting percentage.
The only Warrior to finish with double digit assists was Kayla Uhlenhake, who ended the match with 11. Defensively, two Warriors ended the match with double-digit digs. Jamie Cairncross led the Warriors with 13, and Bekah Saugen was right behind with 10.
The final match of the season came against Bemidji State and resulted in a 3-1 victory to end the Warriors’ season on a winning note. The first set was a Warrior loss by a score of 25-21, forcing the Warriors to bounce back in the second match.
In the second match, the Warriors pulled ahead of Bemidji 13-5 and kept ahead with a 20-14 lead until Bemidji had an 8-2 run of their own to tie the match at 22. Down 24-23, the Warriors used back-to-back kills by Polland and Katie Froehle to earn the 26-24 win.
The third set was a total victory for the Warriors as they led the entirety of the game despite comeback attempts by Bemidji en route to the 25-17 win.
The fourth and final set was more of a back-and-forth effort between the two teams. The Warriors jumped ahead early, but a Bemidji run tied the game at 10.
Keeping hot, Bemidji used a 7-2 run to take the 17-12 lead until the Warriors used their own 7-2 run to tie the match at 19. Up 21-20 the Warriors took the lead for the last time with a kill by Saugen, and Froehle closed the match with a kill of her own.
For their final match, the seniors enjoyed successes. Saugen and Froehle each recorded a double-double in their last collegiate match. Saugen led the team with 14 kills and 10 digs, while Froehle had 11 kills and 18 digs. Alli Glisch had 11 kills and was the Warrior leader with a .381 hitting percentage.
Kaley Jacobson led the team with 24 assists. Kayla Uhlenhake and Elena Kruesel had 15 and 7 assists respectively. Joining Froehle and Saugen in double digit digs was Leah Perri, who finished with 14.
Cairncross, a freshman on the team, said, “I think we grew as a team this season. We play more aggressively and are more confident in each other.”
The Warriors are looking to keep improving for next season, while also celebrating this season’s successes.
“I don’t think we have been playing to our full potential,” Cairncross said. “Every game we have been improving, and we have been practicing hard. We are a very good team and just need to follow through until the end with a win.”
The Warriors finished their season, with an 11-18 overall record and an 8-12 record in the NSIC.
Contact Dillon at [email protected]
