Norse win fifth set to beat Wildcats
Whitehall’s Harlow Foss passed to the front row during their match against Blair-Taylor last week Tuesday. (Times photograph by Andrew Dannehy)
Blair-Taylor’s Madalyn Frederixon went for a spike during their match against Whitehall last week Tuesday. (Times photograph by Andrew Dannehy)
After a close loss in the fourth set, the Whitehall volleyball team controlled the fifth to pick up a Dairyland Conference win over neighboring Blair-Taylor last week Tuesday.
After the teams split the first two sets — both by 25-17 scores — Whitehall seemed to be in control after winning the third set, 25-12, to take a 2-1 lead. But the Wildcats kept fighting and came away with a 25-23 win in the fourth set to force a fifth.
But the deciding frame belonged to the Norse as the home school outscored the visitors two-to-one to win, 15-7.
Sophomore Harlow Foss led Whitehall with 10 kills in the match, two more than Olivia Killian while Kelsie Klomsten added five; Ashlyn Clatt and Trinity Aasen, four and Aryana Ausderau, three. Aasen also had two blocks while Killian and Avvia Herman had one.
Whitehall had success at the service line, acing 19 serves in the match. Brinna Goplin led the team with five aces while Foss, Killian, Herman and Kyla Lambeck all had three. Hailey Przybylla and Ashlyn Clatt also had one ace.
Lambeck and Przbylla split setting duties as the former finished with 15 assists and the latter had 11. Foss, Goplin and Auderau also had one assist apiece.
Goplin led the team with 16 digs, Foss added 11.
The Wildcats also had success at the service line. Both Andrea Waldera and Elissa Smetana had seven aces, Madalynn Frederixon added five and Paige Kelly had two.
Freshman Chloe Medenblik led B-T with eight kills, while adding three blocks while Waldera, a sophomore, had six kills and four blocks. Smetana added four kills, Frederixon had two. Frederixon had a team-high seven assists.
Kelly was active defensively, finishing with 62 digs while Waldera added 31 and Jenna Beam finished with 15.
The win evened the Dairyland Conference records for both teams at 1-1. Overall, Whitehall improved to 7-6 before they welcome Augusta on Tuesday and play at Independence/Gilmanton in Independence on Thursday. The Norse are scheduled to play in a tournament at Eleva-Strum on Saturday before returning home for a DC match against Augusta this coming Tuesday.
The Wildcats sat at 3-4 overall before playing at Eleva-Strum on Tuesday of this week and hosting Alma Center Lincoln on Thursday. They’re scheduled to play at Alma/Pepin in Alma this coming Tuesday.
