The game that Wadena-Deer Creek volleyball team really wanted came on Monday.
After being beaten by rival Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton for years, including twice in the section finals, the Class 2A 10th-ranked Wolverines finally got a monkey off their back in the thrilling three games to one victory in the season finale in front of the home crowd.
The Wolverines easily won the first game 25-15, but dropped the hard-fought second game 21-25. They bounced back to win the next two games over the Rebels by scores of 25-15 and 25-16 to lock up the likely top-seed heading into the Section 8AA playoffs that start Oct. 23.
"This was a win we really wanted," Wolverine coach Sue Volkmann said. "We came out very determined and played good defense and served received well which allowed us to attack successfully."
Wolverine senior Brigetta Berg delivered 28 kills and had 34 digs while Steph Perkins collected 24 digs and Courtney Volkmann added 36 set assists in the victory.
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Both Brittney Noon and Rachel Carlisle reached double digits on the kill list with 11 and 10 kills respectively.
Defensively, Rachel Craig led the team with 13 blocks with Kelly DeFoe contributing 10 blocks to help frustrate the Rebels' attacking game.
"Rachel [Craig] has stepped in and played very well especially with her blocking while Kelly [DeFoe] was out sick and now with Kelsi [Crawford] out with a sprained ankle," Volkmann said. "This game was a great team effort."
On Oct. 7, the Wolverines captured the Mid-State Conference crown with a sweep over Pequot Lakes by scores of 25-12, 25-9 and 25-10.
Berg had a team-high 23 kills to go with her 11 digs in the victory. Amy Brown went 14-for-14 with four aces from the service line and Volkmann had 24 set assists.
"We took early leads in all three games as we passed and attacked well," Volkmann said. "We had a lot of offensive opportunities off from [Pequot Lakes] free balls and took advantage of this with many attack attempts that led to numerous kills."
The Wolverines finished off the Patriots with 39 kills.
On Saturday, the Wolverines ran into some tough competition at the Alexandria Invitational. They finished the tournament with a 1-3 record and defeated Renville County West 25-13, 25-21 to take seventh place.
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The Wolverines lost to Alexandria (22-25, 20-25), Bemidji (14-25, 26-28) and Wayzata (25-22, 17-25 and 11-15) in pool play.
The Wolverines (22-6) open up the Section 8AA Tournament on Oct. 23.
WDC at Pequot Lakes on Oct. 7
Wolverines 3, Lady Patriots 0 (25-12, 25-9, 25-10)
WDC Stats
Kills-Brigetta Berg-23, Brittney Noon-6, Courtney Volkmann-4, Kelsi Crawford-4, Rachael Carlisle-2
Defensive Digs-Berg-11, Volkmann-4, Avery Jackson-5, Steph Perkins-9, Carlisle-3,
Serving-Noon- 11 for 12, Amy Brown-14 for 14 with 4 aces, Steph Hahn-4 for 5
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Blocks-Crawford-5, Noon-4, Rachel Craig-5, Carlisle-5
Set Assists-Volkmann-24
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton at WDC on Oct. 13
Wolverines 3, Rebels 1 (25-15, 21-25, 25-15, 25-16)
WDC Stats
Kills-Berg-28, Noon-11, Carlisle-10, Volkmann-4, DeFoe-3
Defensive Digs-Berg-34, Volkmann-12, Noon-6, Jackson-6, Steph Perkins-24, Mandy Perkins-11, Carlisle-5
Serving-Brown-7 for 7 with an ace, Mandy Perkins-14 for 15, Steph Perkins-12 for 13 with an ace, Noon-13 for 14 with an ace, Berg-18 for 20 with an ace, Volkmann-10 for 14 with an ace
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Blocks-Volkmann-4, Berg-6, Noon-3, Craig-13, DeFoe-10, Carlisle-5
Set Assists-Volkmann-36
