Duluth, Minn.– The Saint Scholastica Volleyball team boarded the buses headed to Ashland, Wis. to compete in the Northland Tri Tournament. During this tournament, they played two games, first against Lawrence University, followed by a game against Northland College.
The Northland Tri Tournament went as the Saints had planned, winning both games with ease, the Saints beat the Vikings of Lawrence University 3-0, and the Norsemen of Northland College 3-0 as well. Grace Myhre (Aberdeen, S.D./Aberdeen Central HS) led the team in assists throughout the two games, racking up a total of 58 assists in the tournament. Lindsey Baribeau (Biwabik, Minn./Mesabi East HS) was the most common recipient of those assists, she recorded a total of 22 kills.
Game One
First Set
Game one opened up with both teams trading blows, however it did not take long for the Saints to assert themselves on the court, going on a two point run, only allowing the Vikings to score one point following.
The Vikings would get their chance to come back and went on a 6-1 run, tying the game at 8-8.
After those two large runs, both teams traded blows, going into a long series of two point runs. But the Saints would get the serve and close set one with a seven point run, ending set one with a final score of 25-22.
Second Set
The Saints would be the first on the board in set two, coming from a serving error, however their early lead would not last long as the Vikings ran away with the set, going on a 4-7 run giving them a 6-8 lead.
In similar fashion to the last set, this set began to go back and forth with both teams not relenting to the attack of the opposing side, exchanging rounds of one or two points.
Both teams would manage to secure three point runs, with the Vikings taking the 13-16 lead after their run. But that lead did not last long as the Saints began to dominate on offense, scoring six straight unanswered points. This run was led by Grace Myhre (Aberdeen, S.D./Aberdeen Central HS), who had three assists and one kill in this run alone.
Lawrence began to claw back, managing to tie the game up at 24-24 after going on another three point run. But the Saints would score two in a row to close the set out.
Final Set
Opening set three, Lawrence wanted to get at least one win before taking the loss, and they started strong, scoring the first two points of the game. However, that was quickly stopped as the Saints mounted a massive 12-1 offensive drive. Lindsey Baribeau (Biwabik, Minn./Mesabi East HS) recorded two kills in this run, and Myhre recorded another three assists to set the Saints up for success early in the third set.
Although their situation seemed bleak, the Vikings still wanted a change in the final set of the game, cutting the already large lead down to five following a four point streak.
The Saints had the serve once more, and again capitalized on it, scoring six more unanswered points. This run was supposed to be the dagger, as the Saints were sitting comfortably at 18-7.
The Vikings would bite back with a 2-11 run of their own, cutting the lead back down to just two points, a comeback that the Saints dreaded after being up 11 at one point in the set.
But as the score neared 25, the Saints maintained their ability to put points on the board and stay ahead of the Vikings, closing the third set out with a final score of 25-22. And ending the first game 3-0.
Game Two
First Set
The Saints were riding high coming into game two of the tournament after triumphing over their last opponent, the Vikings of Lawrence University.
Set one opened up with the Saints sending a message to the Norsemen of Northland College, in the form of a 5-1 run. But that message fell on deaf ears as Northland would get the serve following an attacking error, and go on a run of their own, only this time it was 3-11.
Only facing a five point deficit, the Saints had the ball again after taking a beating from the Norsemen attack, and took the lead back, scoring six unanswered points. Baribeau and Myhre once again spearheaded this attack, scoring three kills and recording three assists respectively.
The set went back and forth once more as the score eventually reached 20-19, then the Saints began to pull away. They scored another four points, again unanswered by the Norsemen.
Northland would get the ball back following a service error, but the Saints managed to fight off that attack, scoring again. Northland scored two more, trying to steal the first set, but the Saints held on, and scored the 25th point ending the first set.
Second Set
Northland started strong, starting the game off on their right foot with an early 1-5 lead over the Saints.
Wanting game two to follow the same path as game one, the Saints opened up their offense and took the lead right back with five unanswered goals of their own.
It was clear to both teams this matchup was even, as right after the Saints had their run to take the lead, the Norsement would take it all back five of their own, giving them the lead once more, that time by four.
This set was far from one sided, and far from easy for either team. The Saints had possession and fully capitalized on it. Going on a 9-1 run, again transferring the lead back to the Saints who were up 16-13 after that offensive domination.
Northland would try to dig themselves out of the hole they found themselves in, but were stopped by the Saints who managed to maintain their lead and coast to the 25-20 victory in the second set.
Final Set
Very quickly, the Noresemen found themselves in a win-or-go-home situation, down 2-0 going into the third is a difficult obstacle to overcome and that was reflected by the results of the third set.
The energy between the two teams was clearly different and the Saints who were now even more elevated than before had their foot on the gas and eyes ahead. The Saints began with an opening run bringing the early score to 6-2.
Northland tried to match their pace, scoring two in a row, but the Saints were unwilling to relinquish their lead ultimately forcing the two sides to exchange points.
After a long bout of exchanges, bringing the score to 12-9, the Saints had enough energy to close the game then and there. The Saints opened their home stretch scoring seven in a row, followed by only one from Northland. And the game would close, with the Saints ending on a 6-2 run. The final score of the third set was 25-12.
What's Next
The Saints (11-12, 1-5 MIAC) will once again take to the road, this time to St. Paul, Minn. where they will compete in another MIAC Conference match up, this time against the Scots (10-11, 2-4 MIAC) of Macalester College. These two teams will face off on Thursday, Oct. 24. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
