Lady Vikings come from behind for five-set win over Somerset Spartans
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BATTLE AT THE NET — Senior Aubrey Rihn of Colfax attempted to block a shot by a Somerset hitter in the non-conference contest played September 10 in Colfax. The Vikings battled back to win the match 3-2. —photo by Marlys Kruger
by Marlys Kruger
Sports Correspondent
COLFAX — The Colfax and Somerset volleyball teams kept their fans on edge when they faced off in a dual match held in Colfax September 10. In a match that had 45 tie scores, the Spartans appeared they would end things early when they won the first two sets 25-23 and 25-21. But the Vikings dug their heels in and pulled off three consecutive set wins, 25-21, 25-23 and 15-12 to win the match.
Somerset is a Division 2 team, playing out of the Middle Border Conference. The first set showed scores of 6-6, 7-7, 9-9, 10-10, 11-11 and 12-12 before the Spartans pulled ahead 15-12. They upped their lead to 20-15 before the Vikings battled back to 20-18 and eventually knotted it at 22-22 and 23-23, but a hitting error by Colfax and a Spartan serve that bounced off the net gave Somerset the first set.
Set number two began with six tie scores and with the Spartans up 13-12, Sierra Shipman served up an ace for the Vikings for a 13-13 tie. Somerset continued to keep the pressure on but an Aubrey Rihn serve made it 15-15, a Spartan error put the score at 16-16, a Viking block by Clara Hydukovich tied it again at 17-17 and Shipman slammed a kill for an 18-18 score. Colfax went on a short scoring spree with their defense pulling off a big save while Ava Sedivy served for a point and Brynn Sikora put down a big kill for a 21-18 advantage. That would be their last points of the set however, after Somerset rattled off seven straight points to earn the second set win.
With their backs against the wall, the Vikings began taking control of the net. Polkowski scored off a block to knot the score at 7-7 in the third set and with help from a Hydukovich slam and a Sedivy serve, Colfax pulled out to a huge lead at 13-8. After the Spartans came back to cut the lead to 14-12, the Vikings pulled back ahead to 17-12, and with Rihn at the service line, the Vikings moved to 22-16 for their biggest lead of the match. And once again the Spartans went on a scoring streak and cut the Colfax
BIG BLOCK — Lydia Polkoski (22) and Sierra Shipman (2) of Colfax successfully blocked a kill attempt by McKinley Donahue of Somerset in the contest played September 10 in Colfax. —photo by Marlys Kruger
lead to a single point at 22-21. But Lydia Polkowski put the hammer down for a kill, Ruby Kunsman served up an ace and Polkowski finished the set off with a cross court slam.
The evenly matched teams continued to keep the score close and at 13-13 in the fourth set, the Vikings fell behind 16-13 but a Viking kill, a Spartan error and a Sikora ace serve knotted it again at 16-16. The score was tied at 17-17, 19-19, 21-21 and 22-22 but a hitting mistake by Somerset, another Sikora slam and a serving error by the Spartan server gave Colfax the set.
The final could not have been any closer with the score being tied 10 times. At 11-11, Sikora took control, smacking another kill and after another Spartan error, Sikora slammed a cross court shot, but after having her next kill attempt blocked, her teammate set her up again for the final kill.
Colfax begins Dunn- St. Croix Conference play this Thursday at defending champ Spring Valley.