Staff photo by Steve Muscatello Nicollet setter Nicole Hall hit the 1,000 career set assisi mark during the Raider’s match against Martin County West Thursday in Nicollet. For more photos of this event go to cu.nujournal.com

NICOLLET — Nicollet’s Nicole Hall reached the 1,000-career set assist and the Raiders’ junior setter ended the night with 40 assists. Hall has been the starting setter for three years, earning her spot as a freshman.

The only down spot was that Martin County West defeated Nicollet 35-13, 25-16, 18-25, 20-25, 15-12 in a Valley Conference volleyball match Thursday night.

After the match, she was proud of her accomplishment.

“I am pretty excited, I have put in a lot of summer time practice and just worked out, like I said I am pretty excited this is an accomplishment,” Hall said.

Nicollet struggled in the first two sets giving up early leads to MCW, losing both sets. The Raiders struggled to find the groove as Hall only recorded 13 set assists in the first two sets.

Early in the third set both teams held a 1-1 tie when Brooke Skrien pulled back and delivered a crushing kill just inside the side line as the gym erupted in favor of the 1,000th career set assist.

“She hustles after every ball, there is no hesitation and she is the first one in the gym,” Nicollet coach Judy Radke said about her junior setter. “She is a fierce competitor and she is humble.”

After the kill from Skrien the Raiders opened up a 9-3 lead as the energy shifted their way.

The Raiders kept the Mavericks scrambling on the floor and stayed in control of the third match wining 25-18.

Nicollet, again in the fourth set, took control of the first points of the set holding an early lead 11-5. The Mavericks recovered from a rare serving error before dropping a few key kills to reduce the deficit.

The Raiders front hitters, Lindsey Boerger, Skrien and Jill Thompson began to swing hard from the net and re-open the command on the scoreboard. Nicollet evened the match at two wins apiece with a 25-20 win bringing the match to the fifth.

“When Skrien and Boerger call for it, it takes the pressure of my other hitters and we just follow,” Radke said. “It is the confidence and some nights we just have it.”

The Raiders struggled early in the fifth when the Mavericks opened an 11-2 lead when a routine hitting error put the ball back in the Raiders hands.

The Raiders went on an eight-point run in the hands of Hall at the service line. Boerger tallied five kills in the scoring streak to even the set at 11.

“She wanted the ball at the end, Lindsey had been calling for the ball all night,” Radke said.

The Mavericks regained composure and built the momentum beating the Raiders 15-12 in the final set.

Boerger ended with 20 kills going 18 of 18 at the service line with two aces. Skrien tallied 19 kills with eight blocks and Halle Johnson had 28 digs for the Raiders.

Nicollet will host Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s at 7 p.m. on Monday.