Cougars Start 17-0, Take on Class A Showcase

Every other county team, and most other teams’ period, had long since lost.  Mabel-Canton volleyball made it through about the first month of the season without a defeat, starting the year 17-0.  The week of September 16 featured a couple more ho-hum SEC wins, then a serious bump in competition, the Class A Showcase.  The Cougars easily dropped Lyle/Pacelli and Houston in league action.  Aces were the name of the game.  Versus the Athletics, Kenidi McCabe had an unheard of 18 of them (30-31 serving, 16 assists, 9 digs) in the Cougars 3-0 sweep (25-12, 25-5, 25-12).  Payton Danielson (10 kills, 7 digs), Jordyn Newgard (3 kills, 6 digs, 11-11 serving, 3 aces), Emily Carolan (4 kills), and Sophie Morken (4 kills) helped.  All told, M-C had just as many aces (24) as kills (25).  Versus the Hurricanes, Newgard posted 8 aces (4 kills, 21-22 serving, 9 digs) in M-C’s 3-0 sweep (25-13, 25-17, 25-3).  M-C had 20 aces as a team.  Sarina Stortz (10 kills, 3 blks), Danielson (5 kills, 4 aces, 5 digs), and McCabe (4 kills, 22 assists, 6 digs) aided the cause.  Houston was led by Emma Geiwitz (4 kills), Casey Porter (8 assists), Becca Rostad (6 digs), and Jenny Albrecht (6 digs).  Lonnie Morken’s bunch then trekked to Burnsville for their yearly foray against the state’s best at the Class A Showcase.  M-C went 2-0 in pool play, beating Wabasso (25-12, 25-14) and #10 in Class A 10-1 Barnesville (25-13, 25-15).  The Cougars made the Gold Bracket, drawing #3 in state 11-1 Mayer Lutheran in the quarters.  M-C finally lost a set and a match on the season (18-25, 13-25).  They rebounded by beating 9-7 MACCRAY (24-26, 25-13, 15-12).  The Cougars then fell to 18-2 Kittson County Central (25-20, 25-12) to take sixth place.  M-C tourney leaders:  McCabe (18 kills, 8 aces, 57 digs, 87 assists), Danielson (31 kills, 64 digs), Stortz (34 kills), Newgard (12 kills, 55 digs), Molly Lee (12 kills, 31 digs), Kaylor Soiney (28 digs), Lauren Wyffels (32 digs).  Mayer Lutheran beat #5 W-E-M for the Showcase A title (19-25, 25-18, 15-11).  Carlton (#8) beat BOLD for third (17-25, 25-9, 15-13).  New polls have Mayer (14-1) #1, W-E-M (16-2) #2, Carlton (15-2) #4, M-C #6, and Kittson (19-2) #7.  M-C was Silver Bracket champs last year.  The Cougars are 8-0, 18-2.