SLAM TIME — NRHEG’s Harlee Vokoun, left, goes up for a spike as Waseca’s Sarah Trickey (4) defends last week. The Panthers beat the Bluejays, and went on to defeat Blue Earth Area 3-2 at home Tuesday night. They'll play for the sub-section championship Thursday, Nov. 3 at 7:45 p.m. at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. If they win, they'll play for the section championship and state tournament berth Saturday at 7:45 p.m. at Gustavus. (Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak)

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

The NRHEG volleyball team was triumphant in the opening round of sub-section tournament play, defeating Waseca 3-0 last week in New Richland. Game scores were 25-14, 25-18, 25-21.

“Though we didn't play our prettiest volleyball, the most important thing is we were able to get the win,” said coach Joe Kuechenmeister. “It's sometimes tough to play your best against unorthodox teams like Waseca, and we struggled with their off-speed attack. To their credit, the Waseca girls played hard and played scrappy defense, and it was certainly a test for us in the first round. Hopefully, we'll learn from this first victory and keep building as we have a tough match on Tuesday against a very talented Blue Earth Area team."

Individual statistics from the Waseca match: Anna Schlaak 29 kills, 10 digs, 3 ace blocks, 2 ace serves; Carlie Wagner 10 kills, 5 ace blocks, 2 ace serves; Jade Schultz 2 kills, 5 digs, 2 ace blocks, 2 aces; Harlee Vokoun 3 kills, 1 ace; Tori Raimann 6 digs; Noelle Bartness 41 assists, 5 digs.

The Panthers beat BEA Tuesday 25-21, 23-25, 25-14, 18-25, 15-11, advancing to the sub-section semifinals Thursday, Nov. 3 at 7:45 p.m. at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. The winner of that match plays for the section championship and state tournament berth Saturday at 7:45 p.m. at Gustavus.

The Panthers, who finished 7-1 in the Gopher Conference, improved their overall record to 23-6.

The Panthers lost 3-1 to No. 1 seed LeSueur-Henderson Thursday in the sub-section finals.