×

Nedrose volleyball remains consistent in 3-0 sweep of South Prairie

Jimmy Lafakis/MDN Nedrose volleyball players celebrate after scoring a point during the second set of Monday evening's contest against South Prairie at Nedrose. The Cardinals claimed a 3-0 victory over the Royals.

As the home crowd roared in jubilation, the Nedrose volleyball team showed its resolve.

The Cardinals (3-1) staved off several rallies from the South Prairie Royals (0-1) during Monday evening’s 25-13, 25-22, 25-21 contest at Nedrose.

“That’s one thing we’re really working at – making sure we start strong, stay strong and finish strong,” Nedrose assistant coach Taren Braunberger said. “Sometimes, we come out really weak and end strong. It doesn’t always end in our favor because it’s too late. Tonight, we definitely stayed strong and pushed through. Even when we did fall behind a little bit, we continued to push through. That made a big difference tonight.”

Nedrose jumped out to a 10-3 advantage in the first set. The Cardinals increased their margin to 21-10 and secured the 25-13 victory in the opening frame.

The Royals responded with an early 6-2 lead in the second set. After regrouping, the Cardinals gained momentum and created a healthy 16-10 edge.

South Prairie hung around, but the Cardinals finished the job.

“It was good to see them lose it a little bit and then get it back,” Braunberger said.

Throughout the contest, Nedrose’s hitters supplied critical offensive boosts. Junior middle hitter Sophia Svystunova tallied a team-high eight kills, while junior outside hitter Madison Hayes supplied seven.

The efficiency became a boon for the Cardinals in the final frame. With the score tied at 11-11, the Royals racked up points in a hurry. After a timeout, Nedrose clawed its way to the 25-21 win.

The triumph offered some extra satisfaction for the Cardinals. The schools have engaged in a budding rivalry.

“It’s always been fun to compete with South Prairie,” junior outside hitter Alexis Lancaster said. “They’ve been our biggest rival since our school was built.”

Nedrose senior setter Kaelie Eggen handed out a match-high 18 assists. Junior outside hitter Alexis Aragon and Hayes notched two service aces apiece.

For South Prairie, freshman outside hitter Taya Bearman and sophomore libero Kylee Morrison added defensive contributions. Both Royals recorded eight digs apiece.

Junior middle hitter McKynna Stenberg led South Prairie with four blocks. Fellow junior middle hitter Molly Frey chipped in with three blocks and a team-high three aces.

“They have a lot of energy,” South Prairie head coach Kayla Palczewski said about the Royals. “They’re ready to go. Today, we saw a lot of it come together. There’s a lot of things that we need to do to get in our groove. Defensively, they were really anxious to get out there and get it. We need to be a little bit more disciplined and work together.”

Both teams will play 7 p.m. games at home this evening. South Prairie will host TGU, while Nedrose will welcome Rugby.

“We hope to continue to grow together,” Lancaster said. “We’ve been playing together since about eighth grade. With a lot of us in the same grade, we’re a pretty old team. I hope that we continue to get better. We’ll continue to grow.”

Jimmy Lafakis covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JJLII30.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today