Facing the defending Class A state champions is a daunting task in and of itself. Add to the equation a pair of players who were not quite up to snuff physically, and the chore becomes nearly insurmountable.
“Our setter, Kayla Broekhuis, was ill and one of our top hitters, Jada Vander Veen, wasn’t 100 percent, either,” Southwest Christian head volleyball coach Delaine Vander Woude said following the Eagles 3-0 loss to the Windom Eagles Thursday night in Marshall. “If they were healthy, we might have given them a better match.”
With two of their starters under the weather, Southwest Christian just couldn’t keep its pace with Windom and was bounced out of the Section 3A volleyball playoffs, 25-19, 25-18, 25-16, ending it season at 17-8.
Windom took advantage of SWC’s woes and used a balanced attack to ease into the section finals against Minneota.
“This really was a complete team effort by our girls,” Windom head coach Ron Wendorff said following the tilt. “Our girls played well against a very strong Southwest Christian team. We had good balance within our attackers, and we were a determined bunch defensively.”
Windom appeared to be the superior team from the get-go, jumping out to a quick 10-4 lead in Game 1. Throughout the match, Windom junior outside hitter Courtney Ysker (14 kills, 10 digs) was virtually unstoppable and ripped off several unanswered shots during the early run. SWC countered with Morgan Spronk and Kara Van Dyke, but precision serving from Windom’s Abby Hayenga and another pair of kills from Ysker kept Windom in the driver’s seat at 22-12.
A pair of ace serves by Van Dyke brought the Red Rock Conference contenders back to life, and a shot off the block by Spronk pulled SWC to within six points at 23-17. Unfortunately for SWC, it committed two unforced errors – the second a serve into the net – and Windom claimed a 1-0 lead in games.
Out of the break between games, SWC forced the issue with a powerful attack from the left side. Vander Veen found paydirt several times in the early stages of the game, and Van Dyke put the ball on the hardwood with two well-placed tips as the visiting Eagles opened an early lead on the host Eagles.
Tied at 9-all, the game started swinging back in favor of Windom. Ysker again provided the impetus with thundering kill shots, and SWC began to feel the pressure – committing errors at the net and receiving serve. Van Dyke kept SWC close with two blocks, but Ysker and MaKenzie Lovell still managed to keep Windom moving in the right direction.
Sharp serving and good ball movement by Windom translated into a 10-5 run to close out Game 2, and the defending state champs were looking like a safe bet as they closed in on a sweep.
“It was key to win Game 2 there,” Wendorff said. “It was back-and-forth early on in that game before we got some separation with a couple of good runs. We always strive to be the first team to 20 points, and we did a good job of stretching our lead once we got ahead.”
Not wanting to go lightly, SWC looked to pick up the tempo in Game 3. Junior Kaci Mouw provided some spark to the SWC offense from the left, and the defense, too, appeared to lift its game with Marissa DeBoer and Mara Vander Maten digging balls that previously found the floor.
Still, Windom kept pace with tough serving by Lovell while Ysker and Amber Eigenberg controlled the net. Tied at 7-all, Windom surged ahead with a 7-2 run, and time was running out on SWC’s playoff ambitions.
SWC looked to its big front row to tighten the game, and Van Dyke, Vander Veen and Spronk answered the call. Three consecutive points by these hitters helped SWC pull within a point at 15-14, but that was as close as the Eagles would get as Ysker served for five straight points to give Windom a 21-14 lead.
Van Dyke had two more solid efforts for SWC at the net, but Lovell took charge for Windom. Figuring in on three of the final four points, Lovell served an ace to close out the tilt and propel Windom to the Section 3A finals against the Minneota Vikings.