Photo by Paul Trende
Mabel-Canton versus Spring Grove volleyball has been a rivalry over the years. The squads are routinely the two best in the SEC-East, if not the entire SEC. With a new look squad, SG again was game versus M-C. The Lions had four-point leads in three games, but lost two of them. SG’s strongest set was their first. Junior Jordis Neeley was the offensive hammer, racking up six kills. SG led by as many as seven (17-10) only for M-C to spurt 6-0 (17-16). SG then scored four in a row, going ahead 21-16. They took the set 25-22. The Lions again looked the part of M-C’s equal or better in game two, jumping out 4-1 and 10-6. It was impressive given SG graduated three of four All-SEC players from last year (when they twice lost 3-1 to the Cougars). But M-C started setting junior Saijal Slafter. Capable of the off-speed shot
or the slam, she had four kills over a 6-2 Cougar run that tied the game at 12. Six ties later, M-C spurted 3-0 to lead 22-19. The run enabled a 25-20 win. Slafter had eight kills in the set. Game three was then secured early by M-C with a 13-3 start. They prevailed 25-15. Slafter and Kinley Soiney each had as many kills each (six) as SG as a team. M-C went ahead 2-to-1. But the Lions were defiant at going away. They started set four up 6-1 and later led 13-9. But M-C’s off-speed “tips” again were key. Trailing 16-14, the Cougars went on a 7-0 run. Sahara Morken hit the line with an attack for a point. Kailey Ingvalson had back-to-back “tip” kills. Ava Jacobsen scored with an ace off the net, part of a six-point service session that put M-C up 21-16. Lonnie Morken’s Coug’s prevailed 25-19. For the third straight time, Kelsey Morken’s Lions took game one, but fell 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-19). Slafter (20 kills, 10 digs) and Soiney (19 kills, 12 digs, 4 total blks) were a lethal duo, fed by the deft Morken (52 assists, 16 digs). Ingvalson (11 kills, 12 digs) and Jacobsen (11 digs) helped. Neeley (18 kills), Hailey Norman (12 kills), and Joelle Halverson (8 kills, 11 digs) gave SG a three-pronged attack, as Kendal VanMinsel (36 assists, 10 digs) spread it around. Sydney Holland led the defensive effort (19 digs), helped by Katelyn Kraus (13 digs). M-C hit 25% while SG hit 19%. M-C had seven aces to SG’s two. The #2 in Class A Cougars improved to 3-0 in the SEC, 9-0 overall. SG (3-1, 3-1) suffered its first loss.