Easy win for volleyball girls

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to deduct what will happen when Minneota plays most of the rest of the Camden Conference teams.

The No. 1-ranked, defending state champions have not gone more than three sets with any conference team and Thursday night was no exception.

Minneota took an easy 3-0 win from Renville County West Thursday and ran their record to 10-1 and 3-0 the Camden Conference.

Final scores were: 25-11, 25-7 and 25-15.

Winning hasn't been the hard part in what can only be termed as "one-sided games," according to Coach Hayley Fruin.

The real challenge is, "Staying focused," she said. "It's tough to stay focused when you're winning big," said the coach.

So she and her coaches have made it their goal to work on focus during the week's practices.

Thursday night was a good example. When Morgan Hennen went to the serving line, Minneota led 13-8. When she finished serving they had an 18-9 lead. Reese Gillund came off the bench and served four more points with Abby Hennen and Abby Frie knocking down a pair of kills each as Minneota coasted to the 25-11 win.

"We did a pretty good job of keeping our composure," said Coach Fruin.

If the first one was easy, the second one was a "piece of cake."

Morgan Hennen went to the serving line one again, this time with a 1-1 tie — and served  served her team to a 14-1 lead, then Coach Fruin put eighth grader Lyzah Sussner at the serving line and she served seven more for a 20-1 lead before RCW got the ball back.

Between Hennen and Sussner they'd served 20 straight points.

Two aspects of the game Minneota has been working on is the setting — and the other is blocking.

Abby Frie has become a reliable blocker in the middle and Fruin has her  squad working around the middle hitter.

The setters, Ireland Stassen and McKenna Yost served up 21 and 14 potential hits and the Vikings converted most of them.

Natalee Rolbiecki had 11 kills, Frie nine and Abby Hennen seven.

Morgan Hennen stepped up with eight digs to add to 12 by Rolbiecki and 10 more by McKenzie Tolk.

In fhe final game, everyone got a chance to play. Renville County West got some nice blocking and hitting from Hannah Pharr and chipped away at the Viking lead, which got as high as 15-6.

The contest ended 25-15. Rolbiecki had a string of five service points early in the set.

SERVING: (No., good, aces) Morgan Hennen 26-25-5; Ellie Pesch 10-10-0; Natalee Rolbiecki 11-10-1.

KILLS:  Natalee Rolbiecki 11, Abby Frie 9 and Abby Hennen 7.

SET ASSISTS: Ireland Stassen 21; McKenna Yost: 14

DIGS: Natalee Rolbiecki 12, McKenzie Tolk 10, Morgan Hennen 8.

BLOCKS: Ireland Stassen 1, Natalee Rolbiecki 1, Abby Frie 1.