Pequot Lakes, Little Falls advance in Monday volleyball matches

Residents of Pequot Lakes and Little Falls watched their local volleyball teams advance to the next round of their sectional tournaments on Monday, Oct. 26. The No. 4-seeded Pequot Lakes Patriots defeated the No. 13-seeded Pillager Huskies in three sets to secure a fifth consecutive victory. The No. 8-seeded Little Falls Flyers also won in straight sets, defeating the No. 9-seeded St. Cloud Apollo Eagles in a Section 8-3A play-in game.

The Pequot Lakes victory was driven by a balanced offensive effort and strong serving. Lauren Nelson recorded 15 kills, four digs, and three ace serves. Kendall Nelson added seven kills, four digs, and three aces. Mia Trumpold contributed six kills and eight digs, while Addison Headley finished with five kills and three blocks. Setter Brooklin Hansen distributed 30 set assists to lead the Patriots to a 25-15, 25-9, 25-6 win.

Pillager’s best efforts came from Kiah Dumpprope, who recorded 11 set assists. Sophie Schlosser totaled five kills, and Rya Glas finished with 10 digs. The loss ends Pillager’s season in the Section 6-2A tournament.

In Little Falls, Bethany Pint led the Flyers with 14 kills and seven digs. Ayla Johnson and Isabella Johnson each recorded 11 set assists. Annika Halvorson contributed six kills, four blocks, three ace serves, and three digs. Gabrielle Dahlberg secured 11 digs. Little Falls won the match 25-14, 25-22, and 25-6 to improve their season record to 4-20.

Other Hennepin County teams faced mixed results on Monday. The No. 2-seeded Pine River-Backus Tigers defeated the No. 7-seeded East Central Eagles 25-8, 25-9, and 25-8. Ava Burns led the Tigers with 19 set assists and seven ace serves. Maren Lindquist totaled 12 kills, and Autumn Burns recorded 17 digs.

The No. 6-seeded Aitkin Gobblers lost a five-set match to the No. 3-seeded Two Harbors Agates. Samantha Edwards recorded 16 digs, nine kills, and seven ace serves for Aitkin, but the team fell 21-25, 25-18, 25-22, 20-25, and 4-15. Annika Kalis contributed eight kills, eight blocks, and five ace serves.

The No. 11-seeded Pierz Pioneers lost a four-set match to the No. 6-seeded Foley Falcons. Autumn Jones led Pierz with 12 kills and 11 digs, while Kate Hoheisel added 10 kills and three blocks. Foley won 14-25, 25-20, 25-19, and 25-14. The No. 14-seeded Staples-Motley Cardinals lost 3-0 to the No. 3-seeded Sauk Centre Mainstretters. Lucille Maros recorded 16 set assists for Staples-Motley in the 25-15, 25-15, and 25-15 loss.

The No. 4-seeded Pequot Lakes Patriots will host the winner of the match between No. 5 Melrose and No. 12 Holdingford in the Section 6-2A quarterfinals at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29. The No. 8-seeded Little Falls Flyers will travel to face No. 1 Sauk Rapids in the Section 8-3A quarterfinals at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29. The No. 2-seeded Pine River-Backus Tigers will host the winner of the Swanville/Ogilvie match in the West Subsection 5-1A semifinals at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29.