The No. 2 Wadena-Deer Creek Lady Wolverines opened the Section 8AA playoffs with a smooth 3-0 victory over the No. 7 Frazee Hornets. But things didn't come as easily in the quarterfinals against the No. 3 Perham Yellowjackets.
The Lady Wolverines didn't waste any time disposing of the Hornets in the opener, sweeping Frazee out of the WDC gymnasium within an hour.
Brigetta Berg collected 13 kills and 19 digs and Courtney Volkmann drilled seven ace serves to go along with her 26 assists, five kills and five digs. Brittany Ohrmundt added 13 digs and six kills and Kelly DeFoe added a team-high eight blocks. The Lady Wolverines swept Frazee by scores of 25-17, 25-13 and 25-15.
"This was a good win for us to start the section tournament," said WDC Coach Sue Volkmann. "We played consistently throughout the match and earned a quick win which was important because we knew we would probably be playing Perham the next night and it would more than likely be a tough match."
Volkmann was right on the money with that prophetic statement as the No. 3 seeded Yellowjackets came seeking to end the Lady Wolverines' two-game regular season win streak against them.
ADVERTISEMENT
Back in August, the Lady Wolverines opened the 2007 campaign with a tough 3-2 victory over the Yellowjackets. When the two teams met again at the Alexandria Tournament on Oct. 13, the Lady Wolverines prevailed 2-0.
If the third time was to be a charm, the Yellowjackets had a little help during warm-ups when Tina Schloeder, one of the Lady Wolverines' top defenders, rolled her ankle and was out of action.
Volkmann was forced to reshuffle her lineup. She started Chelsey Lawson, and rotated Maggie Friedrich and freshman Rachel Carlisle off the bench.
"They played extremely well under the circumstances," Volkmann said. "It is good to know at tournament time that if someone can't play that we have kids who can step in and keep us winning."
The game started with the Yellowjackets coming from behind to win the first game 25-19, while the Wolverines took game two 25-16.
The third game featured a long, hard-fought emotional rollercoaster for both the players and fans with the Lady Wolverines pulling out the 29-27 victory.
"Whenever we play Perham, both teams go all-out to win," Volkmann said. "It was pretty evident in the third game. That was a make-or-break game and we were fortunate enough to get that one. It was an emotional win right there."
The Lady Wolverines were able to get the decisive game four win to send the scrappy Yellowjackets packing for the season. Endres served up an ace for the game winner in the 25-22 victory.
ADVERTISEMENT
Endres had five aces to go with her four kills, nine blocks and 11 digs in the contest. Berg hammered home 23 kills and picked up 24 digs to lead the team.
Volkmann noted that the victory over Perham was more of a team win but the leadership showed, especially at critical junctures in the games.
"Kelly DeFoe played one of her best games and Brigetta, Courtney, Brittany, Lorraine and Steph came to play and wanted this win," she said. "Their competitive spirit and leadership really showed."
DeFoe had three kills and eight blocks while Ohrmundt picked up three service aces to go with her 20 digs and 11 kills.
The Lady Wolverines (24-4-1) played Fergus Falls Tuesday for the 8AA South Sub-Section title. The Otters won a see-saw match, taking the decisive fifth game of the match by a score of 16-14. WDC won the first game, only to see Fergus Falls rally to claim the next two games. In game four, WDC reasserted control of the match, handling the Otters easily to force the decisive game five. Fergus took the game away in the final minutes, taking victory at neutral-site Detroit Lakes. The loss came despite Berg's 23 kills. A full summary of that game will be in next week's PJ, as it wasn't available at press time.
Section 8AA Playoffs
Frazee at WDC on Oct. 25
Lady Wolverines 3, Hornets 0 (25-17, 25-13,25-15)
ADVERTISEMENT
WDC Stats
Kills-Brigetta Berg 13, Courtney Volkmann 5, Lorraine Endres 7, Brittany Ohrmundt 6
Defensive Digs-Volkmann 5, Berg 14, Endres 6, Ohrmundt 13, Tina Schloeder 10, Steph Perkins 11
Serving-Volkmann-17 for 21 with 7 aces, Endres-9 for 10, Ohrmundt-13 for 13 with 2 aces, Schloeder-3 for 5 with an ace, Perkins-8 for 8 with an ace, Maggie Friedrich-13 for 14 with 3 aces, Chelsey Lawson-3 for 3
Blocks-Berg 2, Endres 4, Schloeder 3, DeFoe 8
Setting Assists-Volkmann 26
Perham at WDC on Oct. 26
Lady Wolverines 3, Yellowjackets 1 (19-25, 25-16, 29-27, 25-22)
ADVERTISEMENT
WDC Stats
Kills-Volkmann 7, Berg 23, Endres 4, Ohrmundt 11, DeFoe 3
Defensive Digs-Volkmann 6, Berg 24, Endres 11, Ohrmundt 20, DeFoe 3, Perkins 19, Lawson 6, Rachael Carlisle 3
Serving-Volkmann-11 for 15 with an ace, Endres-21 for 21 with 5 aces, Ohrmundt-25 for 25 with 3 aces, Perkins-11 for 14 with 2 aces, Friedrich-9 for 9, Lawson-13 for 14 with an ace
Blocks-Volkmann 9, Berg 8, Lorraine Endres 9, Carlisle 3, Kelly DeFoe 8
Setting Assists-Volkmann 45
