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RRC recovers from slow start to down Sleepy Eye in 4

By Ari Selvey 5 min read

SLEEPY EYE -- Early in the first set of a nonconference volleyball match between Sleepy Eye and Red Rock Central, it looked as if Sleepy Eye would be in the drivers seat for the whole match.

The Storm led the first set by as much as 17-4, but the Falcons weren't about to let the set -- let alone the match -- go so easily.

RRC pushed to cut the lead all the way down to 23-22, but eventually lost the set 25-22. The Falcons didn't let that deter them, however, as RRC went on to win the next three sets 25-8, 25-22, 26-24 to win the four-set match.

"We did start out pretty slow," RRC head coach Paige Lingle said. "Away games are kind of hard when you have to get on a bus and you have to travel and try to get your legs warm. It took a lot of momentum and energy in the end. We found that confidence and energy over the weekend when we had to go to Jackson and play at a tournament there [where the Falcons earned their first two wins of the season].

"I just told them, 'You bring that energy and momentum and confidence and you can win games.' That's what I said after one of those first timeouts, and they finally came together and played like they know how."

Kendra Schroeder led the Falcons with 10 kills and 23 digs, while Paige Wondercheck had nine kills. Amelia Ubl had 29 digs and seven set assists, and Natasha Erickson had 03 set assists and 18 digs.

Kenley Jensen led the Storm with 12 kills and 19 digs, while Callie Evers had 10 kills and 11 digs. Ava Kunkel had 29 set assists and 12 digs, while Jace Schauman had 14 digs.

Sleepy Eye had a strong start to the match, but couldn't hold back RRC's comeback.

"We had a strong start, and then we just sort of lost it," Sleepy Eye head coach Sydney Geiger said. "We lost our spark, we lost our energy, we just settled and they started to find it and we started to lose kind of everything. We've just got to start playing consistent for an entire match and even just finishing a set. We've got to be stronger and start finishing and we've got to start capitalizing a little bit better."

The Storm took an 11-4 lead, with Jensen earning a pair of kills and Evers and Mia Walter each getting one as RRC called a timeout. SEU got its 17-4 lead after another kill by Jensen, but a kill by Erickson got the Falcons going. A kill by Wondercheck and an ace by Erickson helped trim the lead to 19-11, and a kill by Keck and an ace by Sophie Paplow made it a 22-16 game. RRC went on a 6-0 run, led by another kill by Keck, to shorten the lead all the way to 23-22, but a pair of errors helped the Storm hold on to the Set 1 victory.

The Falcons' momentum held, however, as they rolled to a 25-8 victory in the second set. RRC had another strong start to Set 3, going up 10-4 on an ace by Paplow, but Sleepy Eye regained its footing, cutting the lead back down to 11-8 with help from a kill by Karly Wendinger.

"We just had to get back to the basics," Geiger said. "A lot of it was just getting our pass up to our setter and being able to go up and attack and start getting back into a rhythm. We lost that rhythm in the second set and in the third one we started to find it a little more, and in the fourth, just too late. Just find that right away and playing throughout an entire set."

RRC didn't let go of its advantage, however, holding a small lead throughout the set. A Walter kill cut the lead down to 17-16, but a kill by Lillian Batalden and an ace by Ubl helped RRC push the score back out to 21-18. Sleepy Eye tied the match at 21 after a trio of RRC errors, but the Falcons held on, closing the match with a 4-1 run and a 25-22 victory.

RRC scored the first 4 points of the fourth set and held on to a 7-3 lead early, with Victoria Pankonin and Wondercheck earning two kills each during the stretch. An ace by Keck set the score at 12-6, and a kill by Batalden made it a 16-8 game.

But Sleepy Eye continued to show fight, going on a 6-0 run with two kills by Evers to cut the lead down to 16-14. RRC pushed the lead back to 23-17 after kills by Wondercheck and Schroeder, but Sleepy Eye rattled off another 6-0 run to tie the game at 23.

But RRC remained steady, taking 3 of the final 4 points as Wondercheck got the match-ending kill.

"We definitely have a lot of jitters when we have close games like that," Lingle said. "At that timeout, I told them, 'You have to put your foot on the gas and you've got to believe in yourselves and belive in your teammates and build that confidence. Keep swinging and don't play scared. Play with confidence and let's finish.' They believed in themselves like I know that they can, and that's what got us the win."

RRC (3-6) hosts Edgerton on Tuesday, while Sleepy Eye (5-6) plays at Sleepy Eye St. Mary's on Tuesday.

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