Brainerd Volleyball: Five Players Record Double-Digit or High Kills in Play-In Win

Brainerd volleyball defeated Bemidji 3-1 on Monday, October 26, to secure a spot in the Section 8-4A quarterfinals. The Warriors, who entered the match as the No. 8 seed, overcame the No. 9-seeded Lumberjacks in the section play-in held in Brainerd. Five different Brainerd players recorded eight or more kills in the match, a distribution of scoring that head coach Tana Johnson described as a balanced team effort. The win caps a four-day period of intense competition, as the Warriors had previously lost to Alexandria on Tuesday, October 13.

The match began with Bella Goggleye serving for Brainerd. The Warriors took the first six points of the game. Bemidji fought back to tie the first set at 16-16. Brainerd then scored six consecutive points, including a kill by Gabby Bernander, to close the first set 25-19. The second set was closer. Brainerd led 10-5 before Bemidji tied the game at 11-11. The Lumberjacks took a 17-13 lead, forcing a Warriors timeout. Brainerd tied the set at 21-21, but Bemidji scored four straight points to win the set 25-21 and level the match at one set apiece.

Brainerd regained control in the third set. The Warriors built a 10-4 lead and maintained a 15-10 advantage. Bemidji tied the set at 20-20 and took a 22-21 lead. Johnson called a timeout, asking her team who wanted the point more. Brainerd scored the final four points of the set. Goggleye recorded the killing blow to win the third set for the Warriors. The third-set winner was punctuated by a strong performance from Goggleye, who had missed a portion of the regular season with an injury. She finished with 24 set assists and 13 digs.

The fourth set featured a dramatic finish. Bemidji took an early 7-4 lead. Brainerd tied the score at 9-9 and took a 15-12 lead, prompting a Bemidji timeout. Preslee Glynn served for Brainerd, and the Warriors led 24-17. Bemidji scored six consecutive points to make the score 24-23. The final rally lasted one minute. Bemidji hit the ball out of bounds, giving Brainerd the set and the match with a final score of 25-23.

Paige Skoglund and Keeley Gondringer led the Warriors with 11 kills each. Ruthie Owen added 10 kills. Bernander and Goggleye both recorded eight kills. The team employed a pin-to-pin attack strategy, which involved the setter setting the outside hitters near the net antennas. Skoglund noted that the team changed hitters frequently and followed Johnson's directions on where to hit. "We wanted to put everything on the court," Skoglund said. "We went pin-to-pin and changed up our hitters a lot. Tana was telling us where to hit and it was working."

Sophia White collected a team-high 27 digs. Owen and Skoglund each recorded eight digs. Gondringer tallied six blocks. Johnson praised the team's ability to use different offensive options. "(Skoglund) was on tonight," Johnson said. "We call it using your tools in your toolbox and she was using all her tools and it paid off for her." Johnson also noted that Goggleye's height allows her to hit effectively from the right side of the court. "It is an asset to have her back and playing all-around," Johnson said.

The Warriors now prepare to face the top-seeded Alexandria Cardinals. The quarterfinal match is scheduled for Thursday, October 29. Alexandria defeated Brainerd 3-0 in their previous meeting on October 13. Johnson plans to focus the team's practice on blocking skills. "Alexandria has some tall girls that are tough hitters," Johnson said. "We are going to spend the majority of our practice on improving our blocking skills." Skoglund added that the team needs to improve its blocking and digging to match the speed of the Cardinals. "They are a faster team, so at practice we will have to do faster drills to be ready," Skoglund said.