I CAN DIG IT — The Panthers’ Anna Schlaak (9) gets set for a dig as teammate Tori Raimann (2) looks on for the NRHEG volleyball team, which defeated WEM 3-0 in the regular-season finale last week. The Panthers host a sub-section tournament match Thursday, Oct. 27 in New Richland. (Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak)
Panthers seeded No. 2 in sub-section
By JIM LUTGENS
Editor/Publisher
With the Gopher Conference volleyball championship already decided, the NRHEG Panthers and WEM Buccaneers played one final meaningful regular-season match last Tuesday.
The Panthers defeated the Bucs 3-0 at New Richland, claiming second place in the 2011 final conference standings. NRHEG won 25-15, 25-17, 25-13.
"It was definitely a huge win for us,” said NRHEG coach Joe Kuechenmeister. “We were tied with WEM for second place in the conference, meaning whoever won tonight would take that position outright. I was extremely pleased to see us come out and compete at a high level, and our intensity and playmaking in the early stages of the match really set the tone and took the Bucs out of whatever game plan they had coming in. To our girls’ credit, they kept their foot down on the gas pedal throughout the duration of the entire match, and we were able to come away with one of our most definitive victories of the season. It's great to have this kind of momentum heading into postseason play."
Individually for the Panthers: Anna Schlaak 16 kills, 11 digs, 6 ace blocks, 2 aces; Carlie Wagner 8 kills, 2 aces; Jade Schultz 4 kills, 4 ace blocks; Noelle Bartness 27 set assists.
"Tuesday night was also fun because it was our Dig Pink Event,” said Kuechenmeister. “It was awesome to see everybody out supporting such a great cause, and the volleyball program would like to thank everyone who had a hand in either purchasing a shirt or making sure the event ran smoothly."
The Panthers finished the regular season 7-1 in the conference, second behind Bethlehem Academy, the top ranked Class A team in the state.
NRHEG is seeded No. 2 in the sub-section and will host No. 7 Waseca Thursday, Oct. 27 in New Richland. The winner faces No. 3 Blue Earth Area or No. 6 St. Peter Tuesday, Nov. 1. The sub-section championship is Nov. 3 at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. The section title match is Nov. 5 at Gustavus.
LeSueur-Henderson is the top seed in the sub-section, followed by NRHEG, BEA, Montgomery-Lonsdale, WEM, St. Peter, Waseca and Maple River.
