Cougars Stay Unbeaten, Morken Gets 600th

When a team almost always starts the season with double digit wins before a loss, and often finishes with 30-plus victories, the coach’s win total is going to go up quickly. Third-ranked Mabel-Canton breezed through Houston in straight sets 25-6, 25-10, 25-8 (MC: Savannah Slafter 11 kills, 4 aces, 2 blocks; Coranda Vickerman 9 kills, 11 assists, 3 aces; Maddy Michels 8 kills; Lexi Thorson 9 assists, 4 aces; Payton Danielson 6 digs. H: Alyvia King 12 digs; Becca Lee 11 digs). The win gave Cougar coach Lonnie Morken 600 career wins. He is only the tenth coach in Minnesota volleyball history to hit said threshold. He went from 500 to 600 in almost three years exactly (111 matches). At a chipper 45 years old, he is far from done commanding one of the state’s smallest schools, but best volleyball programs. Spring Grove then fell 25-11, 25-15, and 25-21 (MC: Vickerman 15 kills, 13 assists, 7 digs; Slafter 10 kills, 7 digs; Michels 7 kills; Thorson 7 assists, 6 digs, 5 aces; Courtney Graves 10 assists). They are a little different this year. Three girls (Vickerman, Thorson, Graves) set, with the intent to get super-skilled and athletic Vickerman to an outside hitter position, giving M-C another big attacker. Vickerman to Slafter is still their best combo though, as the latter is hitting .487. And the defense is always top-notch. M-C is now 5-0, 12-0.