Rising above the net, the Vikings’ strong middle hitter Britta Andress powered the ball back against Wrenshall in the Vikings’ first playoff game.
A very good season came to an abrupt end when the Cook County Vikings fell to South Ridge in three straight games 25-18, 25-20, and 25-12 to bow out of the Section 7A quarterfinals in a match played at Hibbing on Friday, October 24.
With the win South Ridge moved on to face top-ranked Northeast Range to see who will move on to the Section 7A finals.
Three weeks ago the Vikings lost 3-1 to South Ridge in an exciting match played at home, so the Vikings hoped to use that experience to close the gap on the hard-serving, hard-spiking Panthers.
But once again the Panthers’ powerful front line was a bit too much for the Vikings as Justice Janke ended with 14 kills, Lindsey Janke 10 kills and Mallory Thibault 7 kills.
Linden Sutton led the Vikings with 6 kills and 3 ace serves. Meredith Sutton finished with 5 kills and Britta Andress had 3 blocks in the match.
“We played really hard the first two games and fell apart on the third game,” said Head Coach Pam Taylor. “We played strong, we’d get behind then catch up but in the end Justice Janke was too much for us to handle.”
Up on her tippy toes, the Vikings’ libero Carrie Palmer bumped the ball to her frontline in a recent game.
The Vikings ended their year with a 15-8 record. And while they lose starting seniors Britta Andress, Morgan Mixdorf, Jami Sjogren and Carrie Palmer, they return a nice mix of young players coming up from C and B teams that won most of their matches.
“We had an excellent season,” said Coach Taylor. “Senior Captain Jami Sjogren kept the team going with improved skills all the way around. Jami spent the summer lifting weights and it really helped her improve her strength. Libero Carrie Palmer spent the summer canoeing so she had power in her arms, and really stepped it up digging the back row. Middle hitter Britta Andress was a big help with blocking and really started hitting hard towards the end of the season. Outside hitter Morgan Mixdorf was the force hitting down the line.
“We will be returning nine players next season, get ready for some exciting volleyball in 2015!”
Jamie Sjogren looks on as Morgan Mixdorf goes low to make a play on a hard hit ball.
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