File photo by Ari Selvey Nicollet’s Cason Forbrook (15) tips the ball over the net during a Tomahawk-Valley Conference crossover volleyball match on Oct. 11 against Cedar Mountain at Cedar Mountain High School.

By Jeff Meder

Journal Sports Writer

NICOLLET – Despite three hard-fought sets, No. 18 Mountain Lake Area/Comfrey came away with a 25-20, 26-24, 25-18 sweep of Nicollet in the opening round of the Section 2A Volleyball Tournament on Thursday.

Both teams had almost similar records heading into Thursday’s match, with Nicollet coming in with a 5-19 record and MLA/C going 5-19-2. The play on the court proved that point despite the sweep.

The first set featured the Wolverines getting good blocks and returning the ball well. The Raiders were playing hard, but they made mistakes at key points.

“We started off slow in the first. I think that second set took a lot out of our sails,” Nicollet head coach Kris Holicy said.

She credited MLA/C for being a scrappy team who didn’t let many balls drop.

Kamryn Truebenbach had 20 digs, Mia Lambrecht added 15 digs and 12 set assists and Leah Bode had four blocks and two ace serves for Nicollet.

MLA/C grabbed the lead early on, but Nicollet kept coming back to either tie or briefly lead during the set. MLA/C led by 6 points before a service error tied it at 14-14. Nicollet’s first lead was 15-14 on a return by MLA/C that landed out of bounds. Later, MLA/C’s Reagan Pedersen set up Paige Wilson for a kill which tied it at 18-18. Wilson and Elyza Buller teamed up for a double block which gave it the lead that it would hold. Pedersen set up Ashlyn Pfeiffer for a kill on the set point.

The Wolverines led for a majority of the time in the second set. It was a true battle with many good rallies and both teams matched each other with blocks at the net.

Truebenbach’s ace serve added 1 point to Nicollet’s lead (24-22). Three consecutive unforced errors by Nicollet gave MLA/C the points it need to win the set.

Both teams made adjustments in the third set. Nicollet grabbed the lead early on. On one rally, both teams returned the ball before MLA/C knocked the ball out of points for a 4-point Nicollet advantage. MLA/C’s Nadia Phommachan’s got an ace serve to cut the Nicollet lead to 16-15. During the next rally, the Wolverines tied it on a tip by Pedersen. A Nicollet miscue gave MLA/C the lead. Phithsada Phoumivon bumped the ball to Phommachan who set up Ashlyn Pfeiffer for the kill and a 2-point lead (18-16). Pfeiffer and Pedersen made a double block at the net for the Wolverines and they earned the victory.

MLA/C will face No. 1 seed Mayer Lutheran at 7 p.m. on Monday at Mayer Lutheran High School.