Photo by Paul Trende
The TRC has three ranked volleyball teams; #5 in AA Caledonia, #8 in AA Chatfield, and #5 in A Fillmore Central. Any match between the three will be good volleyball (and key for the league-title race). The first was a battle of Chatfield (2-0, 5-1) and FC (3-0, 8-1). The contest seemed destined for five sets if not for a big comeback. The teams swapped wins for three games. Kristi Rindels’ Gophers led 14-8 in game one only for FC to spurt 8-2 to tie the match at 16. But Chatfield pulled away at the end, expanding a 19-18 lead with a 4-0 run to lead 23-18. They prevailed 25-20. Game two had seven ties up to 16-16. But Travis Malley’s Falcons then pulled away. They expanded an 18-17 lead with a 4-0 run to lead 22-17. FC took game two 25-19. Game three had ten ties. FC led 23-21 following a big Kammry Broadwater kill. But the Gophers then got a Jaelyn LaPlante kill, FC errored back-to-back, and Charleigh Larson served the final point via ace. The 4-0 run enabled a 25-23 Gopher win. The finish was a harbinger of things to come. FC led almost all the last set, including 21-14 and 23-17. But the Falcons then got caught in not their best hitting rotation plus their serve-receive tensed. After a LaPlante kill, Hannah Tweten served seven straight Chatfield points including three aces. FC did not have one quality pass. The Gophers ended the game 8-0 to post a comeback 25-23 win, a 3-1 match win (25-20, 19-25, 25-23, 25-23). Multi-talented sophomore Harper Goldsmith led the way (6 kills, 25 assists, 16 digs, 20-21 serving, 4 aces). LaPlante (15 kills) was Chatfield’s biggest hitter. Trindy Barkeim (9 kills, 15-16 serving, 3 aces) and Evy Goldsmith (8 kills) helped. Cora Bicknese had a team-high 19 digs. Tweten (12 assists, 10 digs, 17-17 serving, 3 aces – all in last service session), Lexi Hinckley (4 aces, 7 digs) and Larson (4 kills, 3 aces) gave the Gophers five with at least three aces. They out-aced FC 17 to 8. FC was led by Broadwater (19 kills on .370 hitting, 8 digs), Aubrey Daniels (18 assists, 13 digs, 15-15 serving, 3 aces), and Kyla Hellickson (16 digs). Alyssa Britton (11 kills), Katie Pickett (14 assists), Annika Mensink (7 kills), and Lily Miller (10 digs) helped. The Gophers then downed St. Charles 3-0 (25-8, 25-18, 25-15). H-Goldsmith (6 kills, 20 assists, 4 aces) led the way. Larson (6 kills, 13-14 serving, 7 aces), Bicknese (9 digs, 18-19 serving, 4 aces), LaPlante (7 kills), E-Goldsmith (7 kills), and Tweten (7 assists) helped. Chatfield had a season-high 19 aces, bettering the FC game (17). FC rebounded by sweeping PEM 3-0 (See “TRC Volleyball”). The top four teams in the TRC standings are Caledonia (4-0, 10-0), Chatfield (4-0, 7-1), FC (4-1, 9-2), and La Crescent/Hokah (4-1, 8-1).