Above: The Vikings defeated the Mesabi East Giants in the first playoff game at home on Wednesday, October 27. (L-R) Cecelia Olson, Linnea Leonard, Ashley “Dish” Deschampe spiking, and Sarah Fagerman. The Vikings went on to face the Albrook Falcons on Friday, Oct. 29. Dish went on a 14-point serving run in that game. Left: Brea Boomer faces two Giants as she tips the ball over the net.
The Cook County Vikings took the No. 1 seed into the Section 7A volleyball playoffs and through two games have looked the part. Beating a young Mesabi East team at home and then taking care of a very good Albrook team in Virginia, the Vikes advanced to the Section Semifinals for the second straight season.
The first game started out slow for the Vikings, with a tie at six leaving the gym deflated. The Vikings picked it up from there though, going on a massive run to create separation and eventually pull out the 25-15 win. The Vikes were keyed by sophomore Theresa Morrin’s strong play at the net, blocking two Giant spikes and nailing a couple of kills of her own.
Game two was poetry in motion for the home team. Solid serving, strong passing, and vicious hits left the Giants missing the range and knowing it wouldn’t be long before they were home. The Vikings proved why they were the No. 1 seed with total domination on the court and a 25-7 win.
Thethird game was a display of a team shutting it down too early, as the Vikings struggled to put away the Giants. The Vikings were able to wriggle a 15-8 lead with some scrappy play before Mesabi East mounted their own charge. Eight straight points gave the Giants a 16-15 lead before the Vikings took control of the situation and finished off the game once and for all. The25-21 win wasn’t the prettiest of the year but hopefully the Vikings learned that in playoffs you can’t let up at all.
The Vikings advanced to play the Albrook Falcons in the Section Quarterfinal game in Virginia. The Falcons came with a 15-6 record and a very solid team. The hangover from the lackadaisical play to finish the previous game may have been a part of the problem to start this big game. The Falcons jumped out quickly to a 21-11 advantage over the Vikings before “sharpserver” Ashley Deschampe stepped to the line. “Dish,” as she has all year, rattled off a run of unbelievable proportions, not only bringing the Vikings back into the game but taking them all the way to a 25-21 victory. Of course her teammates picked up their game, especially with better passes, but a 14-point serving run is almost unheard of.
Riding the momentum train, the Vikings came back strong in games two and three and won each game convincingly 25-14. Both Bekah Laky and Kristina Rude did a great job setting, especially since the passes from the back row were very skeptical all night. Laky led the team with 14 assists and 18 digs while “Rudi” added 7 assists and 13 digs. Boomer led the attack at the net with 11 kills and 4 big blocks, with Deschampe leading the way with her serving.
The win advances the Vikings to the Section Semifinals against Chisholm, to be played at press time on Wednesday in Virginia. The Bluestreaks have a very good, fundamental team with some great servers of their own. If the Vikings win, they would move on to the Section Finals at UMD at 6:00 Saturday night against the winner of the Babbitt-Embarrass vs. Cherry game. Look to next week for highlights of the exciting playoff action.
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