Comeback Highlights Gopher VB’s Week

Five.  It was the win total last year for Chatfield volleyball.  Four came by September 14.  The Gophers then finished 1-17 (losing 39 of 45 sets).  Ah, but every year is anew and this one’s looking better.  Just eight matches in, Chatfield is up to four wins.  Two came the week of Monday, September 2.  At R-P, Taylor Salisbury’s girls ended a short four-game losing streak to the Trojans in a 3-0 sweep (25-13, 25-18, 25-19).  It wasn’t a big offensive night for either team.  Gopher senior Kielan LaPlante (8 kills) was the only player with more than five kills.  Mollie Henry had five.  Peyton Berg (15 digs), Devann Clemens (6 assists, 15 digs), and Abi Hinckley (10 digs) keyed the defensive effort.  Teagan Allen helped (8 assists, 6 digs, 24-24 serving).  R-P was led by Elly Malone (14 digs), Kaylee Ruberg (14 digs), and Isabelle Kahoun (11 digs, 8 assists).  The Gophers had 12 blocks to R-P’s one.  Chatfield then executed a down 2-0 comeback win at home versus Southland.  The Rebels took games one (25-22) and two (25-15) only for the Gophers to control things thereafter, taking games three (25-12), four (25-11), and five (15-8) handily.  LaPlante (10 kills), 6’0” MH Zayda Priebe (10 kills, 8 blks), Kennedie Schmaltz (9 kills), Paige Erickson (7 kills, 5 aces), and Henry (6 kills) all had five-plus spikes.  Clemens (32 assists, 10 digs, 3 aces) was the sole setter in the last three sets.  Berg (17 digs, 4 aces) and Abby Nosbisch (20-20 serving, 7 digs) did back row work.  The Gophers had 16 aces to Southland’s five, 16 blocks to Southland’s five.  Chatfield is 1-0, 4-4.