Cougars/Falcons Face Off in VB Semis

It’s bankable.  M-C, FC, and Caledonia will make the 1A East volleyball semifinals.  Some booking of the three always occurs in Rochester.  This year, M-C and FC renewed their rivalry.  The #6 in A Cougars (1-seed, 31-2) got there by handling R-P (9-seed, 12-15) in the quarters, 3-0 (25-7, 25-12, 25-9).  Sarina Stortz (15 kills, 3 ½ blks) and Kenidi McCabe (5 kills, 35 assists, 14 digs, 14-14 serving, 6 aces) did big work.  Payton Danielson (9 kills, 8 digs), Molly Lee (8 kills, 9 digs), and Jordyn Newgard (11 digs, 18-19 serving, 5 aces) helped.  R-P was led by Kaleah Davis (8 kills), Hannah Ronnenberg (4 kills, 8 assists, 7 digs), and Alyvia Eide (8 digs).  The Trojans’ season ends at 12-16. Simultaneously, FC (4-seed, 16-10) handled SG (5-seed, 19-9) via sweep (25-16, 25-14, 25-17).  Lauren Mensink (13 kills, 14 assists, 15 digs) and Kandace Sikkink (13 kills, 18 assists, 15 digs) triple-doubled.  K.J. Corson (23 digs), Ashlyn Simon (14 digs), Kammry Broadwater (6 kills), and Hadley Yoder (6 kills) helped.  And thus FC (4-seed, 17-10) took on M-C (1-seed, 32-2) in a 1A East semi, the teams’ sixth meeting in Rochester since 2012.  The previous five went four-plus sets.  That trend changed.  The Cougs got the sweep, 25-17, 25-23, 25-19.   Set two was FC’s shot.  The game was tied at 18 when Cougar junior setter Kenidi McCabe critically scored a blind overhead setter kill, then a free-ball kill in succession.  She started a 4-1 run that gave the Cougars a 22-19 lead.  Overall, the Coug’s out-killed FC (46 to 28), had more four-plus-point runs (4 to 1), while saving more points with their quick reflexes.  McCabe was the stand-out (9 kills, 31 assists, 19 digs).  Efforts from Danielson (12 kills, 13 digs) and Lee (career-high-tying 8 kills, 12 digs) followed.  Stortz (7 kills), Carolan (5 kills), Newgard (4 kills, 14 digs), and Kaylor Soiney (12 digs) helped.  FC was led by Mensink (8 kills, 12 assists, 11 digs), Sikkink (8 kills, 13 assists, 8 digs), Hope Sexton (18 digs), Corson (17 digs), Yoder (6 kills), and Broadwater (5 kills).  Stand-out middle hitter Maddie Krage did not play (sprained ankle).  The Falcons finish solidly at 17-11.  They graduated just three seniors (Sikkink, Krista Jorgenson, Kassidy Broadwater).  M-C (33-2) moves on to another rivalry, #9 in A Caledonia (24-6) for the East title.