Vikings spike PdC in opener Tuesday

By Becky Walz,

Thursday, August 29, 2024 11:25 am

Senior Edyn Batement looks for an opening around the Blackhawk blockers in set three of the season opener Tuesday night in Decorah. (Photo by Becky Walz)

With temps high outside, so was the action inside Tuesday night as the Decorah volleyball team (1-0, 0-0 NEIC) topped Prairie du Chien in the non-conference opener 3-0.
The Vikes kicked off the night on the attack, leading several times by as many as seven before winning set one with that same spread, 25-18. Set two was a closer battle early on with the Blackhawks tying the set 10-10 before Viking junior Dylin Thompson’s serves and the rest of Decorah’s offense pulled ahead by five. In the end a Prairie du Chien serve error handed Decorah the 25-19 set win. By set three the Blackhawks had found their footing on the court, taking a 17-16 lead before Kelby Kerndt hammered down the ball for a kill to end the threat. Prairie du Chien kept the match close through the set point that was recorded by a Kerndt block for the 25-23 victory.
The Vikes had 36 kills on 102 attack attempts. In addition, they served 69-for-73 with seven aces, 34 assists, 51 digs and nine total blocks.
McKinley Massman had a big night all around with a team high 13 kills, six digs and four aces as she served 17-for-19. Dylin Thompson handed out 29 assists to go with 14 digs and served 12-for-12 for an all-around game as well.Leah Holland put down seven kills and went 10-for-10 at the service line, while Kelby Kerndt was there for five kills, five digs and two blocks. Coming up with nine digs was Savannah O’Reilly in addition to a 12-for-12 serving performance.
“Last night was a good start for us. I feel that we played really well coming out at the start, we sort of just settled in and played the rest of the match instead of taking control of it. There are most certainly some things we need to continue to work on but overall it went well. I look forward to continued growth with this group,” said Coach Gina Holthaus.
Decorah is back on the home court Thursday as they host North Fayette Valley in a non-conference match at 7:15 p.m. Next week the Vikings take their game on the road as they head to St. Ansgar Tuesday, Sept. 3, for a 7 p.m. varsity start.

Stats vs. Prairie du Chien
Kills – McKinley Massman 13; Leah Holland 7; Kelby Kerndt 5; Sydney Thompson 4; Renae Wilson 3; Dylin Thompson 2; Savannah O’Reilly 2
Assists – D. Thompson 29; Sara Johanningmeier 1; Ellie Rolfs 1; Massman 1; Kerndt 1; Edyn Bateman 1
Blocks (assist-solo) – Holland (1-1), S. Thompson (1-1); Kerndt (1-1); Wilson (0-2); Massman (0-1)
Digs – D. Thompson 14; Savannah O’Reilly 9; Rolfs 8; Massman 6; Kerndt 5; Johanningmeier 3; Holland 2; Brynnah Hanson 1; S. Thompson 1; Ella Stille 1; Wilson 1
Serving (success/attempts) – D. Thompson (12-12); O’Reilly (12-12); Rolfs (10-10); Holland (9-9); Stille (1-1); Massman (17-19); Johanningmeier (8-10)
Aces – Massman 4; Johanningmeier 1; Holland 1; D. Thompson 1

Submit A Comment

Fill out the form to submit a comment. All comments require approval by our staff before it is displayed on the website.

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments