Titles and Milestones for Cougars

It was a big week for 8th-ranked Mabel-Canton volleyball. They notched seven victories, a couple titles, and had individuals surpass two milestones. The Cougars entered the week having clinched a share of the SEC-East. By sweeping Hope Lutheran (25-8, 25-16, 25-10), they won the Division title out-right for their 19th straight league championship. Coranda Vickerman (8 kills, 8 digs, 8 assists, 24-24 serving, 4 aces), Savannah Slafter (8 kills, 7 digs, 3 aces), Payton Danielson (4 kills, 6 aces, 5 digs), Kenidi McCabe (9 assists, 8 digs), Maddy Michels (4 kills, 3 ½ blocks) and Courtney Graves (9 assists) led the charge. The Cougars then dispensed with Lanesboro 25-13, 25-14, and 25-19. Vickerman (17 kills, 15 assists, 6 digs) tied a season high in spikes. Slafter (11 kills), Danielson (11 digs, 6 assists, 4 aces), McCabe (6 assists, 7 digs, 3 aces), Lexi Thorson (6 digs, 5 aces) and Graves (6 kills, 6 assists, 6 digs) did their parts. Haley Polin (7 kills, 3 blocks), Cassidy Ruud (6 kills, 9 digs), and Lexi Melander (17 assists, 8 digs) led the Burros (9-4, 12-6). M-C then trekked north for the Brainerd Invite. The Cougars were one of only two Class A schools. They proved size matters not. In Pool Play, M-C silenced the Thunder of AA Zimmerman (25-6, 25-6) and snuck past the Prowlers of AA Thief River Falls (26-24, 25-15). They out-tricked the Magic of Monticello (25-14, 25-17) while losing to Robbinsdale-Armstrong (14-25, 25-18). In the championship pool, M-C went Kobe on the Lakers of Detroit Lakes (25-17, 25-19) before getting redemption, de-taloning the Armstrong Falcons (20-25, 25-18, 15-11) to claim the tourney title. Vickerman (13) and Slafter (11) combined for 24 of M-C’s 33 kills in the finale. They had 14 in M-C’s pool play loss to Armstrong. They were two of four Cougars with ten-plus digs in the finale. M-C went over Armstrong for last year’s title also. Armstrong (21-7), Detroit Lakes (15-11), and Monticello (14-14) are all average to good AAA teams. D-Lakes and R-A each boast four 6-footers. M-C hasn’t had one since 2013 (Sara Lind). Armstrong has a pair of D-1 recruits including one headed to Penn State (something M-C can keep up on, Syracuse’s Belle Sand). The Cougar star duo of Vickerman (56 kills, 74 assists, 56 digs, 12 aces) and Slafter (56 kills, 44 digs, 16 aces on 60-61 serving) led the way. Vickerman, ye of 2,300-plus career assists, became the fifth M-C player to top 1,000 career digs. Slafter topped 1,000 career kills, only the second Cougar junior to do so. Thorson (44 digs, 10 aces), Danielson (35 digs, 34 assists, 7 aces), McCabe (31 digs, 19 assists), Michels (23 kills), and Graves (14 kills, 22 assists) helped. M-C is now 13-0, 28-4.