Departing seniors pictured above from left: Kendall Johnson, Anna Jacobson, Grace Tufte, manager Ashton Johnson, and Elli Baker. (Star Eagle photos by Chris Schlaak)
Lady panthers defeat Blooming Prairie and Maple River at home
Hard work and commitment pays off. That has been the story of the NRHEG volleyball team, which defeated Blooming Prairie 3-2 November 2. Games one, three and five went to the Panthers. Scores were: 25-17, 25-16, 27-25, 25-18, and 15-9.
“The girls showed a lot of heart and fight tonight in our game,” said NRHEG head coach Onika Peterson. “We have made a ton of progress from that night to now.”
The win against the Blossoms was important for multiple reasons. “Blooming was the first game of the season and we lost 3-0, the second set wasn’t close,” said coach Peterson. “ I'm very proud of the girls and the strides they have made.”
For the Panthers: Anna Jacobson 6 kills, 2 digs, 1 block kill, 1 ace serve; Raquel Fischer 5 kills; Grace Tufte 21 assists, 1 dig, 3 ace serves; Kendall Johnson 13 kills, 10 digs, 3 ace serves; Bree Ihrke 5 kills; Erin Jacobson 3 kills; Hallie Schultz 1 kill, 18 assists, 8 digs, 9 ace serves; Sidney Schultz 8 digs, 1 ace serve; Elli Baker 8 kills; Cambria Nissen 2 assists, 16 digs, 1 ace serve.
“Our defense was very scrappy tonight and our hitters continue to be aggressive at the net,” said coach Peterson. “Our serving was solid tonight. We had a team high of 18 ace serves--Hallie Schultz leading with 9.”
The Panthers continued their redemption story Friday, November 6 at home, defeating Maple River 3-0 at home November 6. Game scores were 26-24, 25-23, and 25-20.
“We went to five sets and lost at Maple River earlier in the season, so it was really great to beat them in three tonight,” said coach Peterson. “We had some more errors than we did Monday night in Blooming Prairie--with some of our hitting choices and missed serves, but overall it was a great win.”
For the Panthers: Anna Jacobson 6 kills; Raquel Fischer 3 kills; Grace Tufte 1 kill, 17 assists, 5 digs, 1 ace serve; Kendall Johnson 8 kills, 1 assist, 17 digs, 2 ace serves; Bree Ihrke 5 kills, 1 block kill; Erin Jacobson 6 kills; Hallie Schultz 13 assists, 1 dig, 1 ace serve; Sidney Schultz 6 digs; Elli Baker 4 kills, 1 block kill; Cambria Nissen 11 digs, 1 ace serve
Friday night was a special night for Panther volleyball and not just because of a good win at home. It was also senior night. Seniors recognized Friday night were: middle hitter, Anna Jacobson; setter, Grace Tufte; outside hitter, Kendall Johnson; right hitter, Elli Baker; libero, Cambria Nissen; and manager Ashton Johnson.
Coach Peterson had a message for the departing senior athletes, “Thank you again, girls, for your time, effort, and dedication that you have given to the NRHEG Volleyball program. Thank you for representing the NRHEG School and our communities. We are proud of everything that you have accomplished here and we are excited to see where your future will take you. We know that you will thrive after leaving NRHEG. Thank you for everything.”
The Panthers travel to Hayfield November 13.
Gopher Conference
Conf. Ov.
WEM 6-0 8-0
Bethlehem Academy 4-1 7-1
Hayfield 4-3 5-5
Medford 3-3 4-3
Blooming Prairie 2-5 2-6
NRHEG 3-5 3-6
USC 1-2 1-3
Maple River 1-4 1-6