WADENA – Just two matches into the 2022 season, the Perham volleyball team looks like a different beast from a year ago.
The Yellowjackets moved to 2-0 with a 3-1 win over Highway 10 rival Wadena-Deer Creek (0-2) on Thursday. Perham fended off the Wolverines' comeback effort to avenge a 3-2 loss from a year ago.
The Wolverines led up from the jump in all four sets, including a 4-0 lead in set one. Perham eventually tied the score at 13-13 before taking a two-point lead at 20-17 on a kill from Willow Thiel. Unforced errors allowed the Yellowjackets to claw their way back from early-set deficits.
"We were our own worst enemy. I don't know if you can say they have a bunch of weapons," WDC head coach Sue Volkmann said. "That one they have on the outside–we probably could've done a little more with her. We just had a ton of unforced errors and kind of gave them a lot of points. We need to get that energy level up and be confident. The eighth and ninth graders–the more they play, the more confident they will get. For being that age, they certainly deserve to be here playing."
Perham went on a 5-3 run, capped off by a kill from Jaden Hackel, to win the first set 25-20.
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The momentum carried into set two. Perham went on a 15-6 run to take a 20-10 lead. After WDC claimed three straight points, The Yellowjackets won five consecutive to close out a 25-13 victory.
After Perham finished the 2021 season 12-17, head coach Nikki Morrison was happy to see her team take a clear step forward through two matches.
"That's a big piece we were missing last season," Morrison said of getting contributions from every position. "We were rebuilding last season. We were a brand new team trying to figure each other out. I feel as if when we started this fall season, their goal was to play together as a team. It's so exciting to see every single player contribute. They have this balance that not a lot of teams have. It's so exciting to see everybody buy into each other."
Thursday's win didn't come without some adversity. WDC subbed in some players to change the pace of the match in the third set. Jenna Dykhoff, Isabella Larson and Payton Gravelle provided a spark to the Wolverine offense.
"Some of our younger players came in the third and fourth (set) and really picked it up for us," Volkmann said. "They got the energy on the floor that we were missing in the first two. It was a little too late, but they showed they can do that for us."
After a back-and-forth start to the third set, Montana Carsten put home back-to-back kills to take a 17-12 lead. WDC went on an 8-4 run to close out a 25-16 win and force a fourth set.
"They started playing different girls," Morrison said. "They subbed in two different hitters, and we didn't adjust to their speed. When that happened, we started relaxing. It cost us because the game was a lot faster before she brought the new girls in there, where it slowed down a bit. (Volkmann) changed the speed of the game. It's hard to make those adjustments."
WDC took a 5-0 lead to start the fourth set before the Yellowjackets tied it at 9-9. Perham took its first lead at 13-12. The fourth set featured four lead changes until Perham led 16-14.
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"Our big thing is just controlling our serve-receive," Morrison said. "I always say you have to control your breathing. If you feel yourself holding your breath, your mind is not functioning as it should. Making sure they're calm, collected and communicating with each other is the key. Once we start getting back in the groove, we just flow together, and success builds."
Perham extended its lead to 20-17 before WDC pulled within a point. Both teams traded possessions until a WDC error set up Maya Richter with a match-winning ace.
"I think we can be incredibly dangerous because of the weapons we have," Morrison said. "Our back row knows how to play defense, and they know how to cover the court. When you have that, and you have that will of never giving up, it changes the whole game for us. It creates that much more excitement to just keep pushing forward."
The Yellowjackets are primed to make a push in Section 8-2A behind a committed senior class. Morrison alluded to a rebuild a year ago, which required a great effort from this year's seniors to set themselves up for a successful 2022.
"It took those girls to buy in. If they didn't buy in, we wouldn't have success," Morrison said of her senior class. "They realize this is their senior year, and this is it. With all of them being on board and holding everybody else to that standard, it's completely changed our gym."
Morrison hopes wins over Thief River Falls and WDC are only the beginning.
"They need to keep buying into each other instead of playing this game for themselves," Morrison said. "When you start putting others before you, people want to support you. That trust naturally starts to develop. Volleyball is a game of trust. You have to trust that she's going to make that pass, and she has to trust that you will be able to put that ball away. Everybody plays such a crucial role, so if you don't have that trust in your teammates and yourself, the whole thing crumbles."
For the Wolverines, Volkmann sees how promising the peak of her team could be but is still searching for her leaders to step up on the court.
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"It's kind of a process," Volkmann said. "Madison Carsten has been out for two years with a double ACL. This is only her second game back in two years. We kind of put a lot on her, and it's going to take time for her to get back into game shape."
WDC has its sights set on a Park Region Conference title while developing a young team with only three seniors on the varsity roster.
"We'd like to win our conference," Volkmann said. "I think that's very doable for us. We just want to improve with every game we play and know what we need to go into practice with. We need to get more consistent offensively and cut down on the unforced errors."
PERHAM 3, WADENA-DEER CREEK 1
(25-20, 25-13, 16-25, 25-22)
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