Justin Martinez/MDN Senior Carrie Otto, left, attempts to send the ball past the outstretched arms of 6-foot-4 middle hitter Lauren Ware during Minot High's home match against Bismarck Century Wednesday.

Minot High volleyball head coach Sherry Carlson didn’t quite know where to begin after the Majette’s 3-0 loss to Bismarck Century on Wednesday.

The Majettes (10-20, 5-12 West Region) got overpowered for three full sets, totaling just 21 points on the night as the Patriots (24-4, 15-0 West Region) completed the sweep in a little less than 45 minutes. When Carlson did find her words after the match, she used them to voice her disappointment in her team’s performance.

“This is not where we want to be this late in the season,” Carlson said. “We can’t have kids falling apart when we’re so close to the postseason. I know in my heart that my team didn’t want this to happen, but there has to be some inner pride and gut that says ‘enough is enough’ and makes us turn things around. We didn’t have that tonight.”

To Minot High’s credit, the team started the match with a surge of energy as it attempted to keep pace with the Patriot’s star player, Lauren Ware.

The Majettes showed no fear as they challenged the towering, 6-foot-4 middle hitter, blocking one of her strikes and digging out a pair as well. But Ware and the Patriots eventually pulled away, launching a 9-0 run to take a commanding 12-2 lead.

Minot High couldn’t recover as Century cruised to 25-10 win in a set where Ware totaled three kills, three blocks and two aces.

“It was really stressful,” senior Carrie Otto said. “We tried our hardest, but apparently that wasn’t enough. Our defense could have been better, and we could’ve placed the ball better.”

The night only got more rough as the Patriots upped their play to a whole other level in the second set. Ware took control from the start, recording a pair of kills and a pair of blocks in the first four plays.

The junior’s strong play sparked what ended up being a 16-0 start to the set by the Century, and the Patriots finished with ease for the 25-4 win.

Century had no trouble completing the sweep in the third set as the Patriots went on to win, 25-7. Otto finished with three kills and three digs, while senior setter Hailey Espe totaled five assists and four digs.

Carlson hopes her team will use this game as a wakeup call as it attempts to finish its regular season with some momentum. The Majettes now shift their focus to their upcoming match at Turtle Mountain Community on Monday at 6 p.m.

“We’re back to the drawing board,” Carlson said. “We have to try to get our girls to build some confidence during these last two weeks. We need something to change.”

Justin Martinez covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JTheSportsDude.