Vikings meet their match

Above: Sara Fagerman (6), CeCe Olson (4), and Abby Sutton (7), scramble to set up a play against the Esko Eskomos. Despite playing two close games, the Vikings ended up losing 3-0 to their alwaystough Polar League foes. Left: As Ashley Deschampe looks on, Anna Carmen receives the serve and sets up a play. Deschampe ended up with 7 kills for the game against Esko.

The Cook County Viking volleyball team had dominated in the early part of the season with easy 3-0 wins over Duluth Marshall and Silver Bay. Much of the success has come from the stellar play of young players Ali Iverson, Taylor Ryden, and Anna Carman stepping into new roles and replacing some very good seniors off of last year’s team. Leading the way, though, have been returning all-conference players Ashley Deschampe and Bekah Laky.

The Vikings welcomed fellow undefeated Polar League opponent, the Esko Eskomos, to town for a heavyweight matchup. The Eskomos are coming off a state tournament berth and undefeated Polar League season last year and are reloaded and primed for another conference title. The Vikings are coming off a great season, too, in which they only lost four games and were one win away from the state tournament. What was billed as a great match, didn’t disappoint.

Game 1 featured great plays by both teams, with scrappy digs in the back row by Viking senior CeCe Olsen and Esko senior Delaney Pearson to keep many points alive. Despite both teams missing multiple serves, the Eskomos were able to overcome their mistakes in the end as the Vikings were not, and Esko turned a late 3-point lead into a 25-18 win. The game was never more than that 3-point spread until the last run when senior Steph Bandelin finished off the Vikings with a smash and gave the Eskomos a 1-0 game advantage.

Great plays were made by both teams, with Esko just making a few more to win the games. The Bandelin spike at the end of game two gave Esko momentum that carried into game three and seemed to take all the wind out of the Vikings’ sails. Esko used some dandy serving and Viking mistakes to jump out to a quick 8-0 lead before the Vikings could get on the board. Things didn’t get much better after that, either, as the Eskomos continued to pull away into a 17-5 lead. Bekah Laky toed the serving line and brought the Vikings to within seven points, but it was too little too late, as the Eskomos were just too much to handle in the 25-11 win and 3-0 sweep. The win gives Esko a 3-0 record and a big advantage in the Polar League standings, while the loss drops the Vikings to 2-1. While the game ended up being a sweep, fans in the stands were treated to some great volleyball action, as these two teams will be favorites in their respective sections. The score doesn’t do the game justice, as the Vikings were step for step with the Eskomos nearly the whole night and should lead us to believe that these two teams are heading toward great seasons. The Vikings have a busy schedule next week, with home games on Monday and away action on Tuesday and Thursday and a tournament on Saturday. Come on out and support one of the best volleyball teams in the Arrowhead!

With the Viking faithful behind the girls, the Vikes jumped out to a quick lead behind the serving of Bekah Laky. With the Vikings on top of their game, they were unable to stretch the lead out more than the 3-point spread that separated the teams in game one. Trailing 15-13, the Eskomos went on a nice run, capped off by a big Megan Reuer block to give them a 19-17 lead. It looked and felt pretty bleak in the gym as the Eskomos were rolling, but Ali Iverson scored an ace block to bring the Vikings within a point and brought the crowd back on their feet.

Frantic volleys, recoveries and allaround great plays ensued until the Eskomos were leading 23-22, with the ball in hand. A misplay by the Vikings in the back row looked like it was going to be point for Esko, but a great save by Anna Carman kept the point alive. A misplay on the Esko side gave the Vikes the ball back, with the opportunity to put it down. A perfect set to Ashley Deschampe, which usually results in a point, instead meant a great opportunity for libero Kallyn Knutson to come up with a huge dig.

The Eskomos used that pass to set up the sniper, Bandelin, but a great dig by Bekah Laky kept the ball in the air. A nice spike by Iverson was turned around by the Eskomos at the net but the Vikings recovered to send it back over. Esko picked that up, though, set up Bandelin again, and the result was a smashing dagger, with the Eskomos pulling ahead 24-22.

In all reality, it finished the game with all momentum on their side and the game ended on the next point, giving the Eskomos a 25-22 win. That point was a great capsule to show how the first two games went back and forth.

Viking Scoreboard

Esko def. Cook County
25-18 | 25-22 | 25-11