Rockets rally at Regionals

The Region 4 Volleyball Tournament took place in Devils Lake on Monday, Nov. 8; Tuesday, Nov. 9; and Thursday, Nov. 11. The New Rockford-Sheyenne Rockets were among seven other teams to compete in the tournament.

The first game of the day on Monday, Nov. 8 consisted of the North Star Bearcats (#1) and the Dunseith Dragons (#8). The Bearcats defeated the Dragons 3-0.

Next up in the tournament was the Benson County (#4) versus Harvey/Wells County (#5) match up. Both teams rallied well against each other, but Benson County pulled away to defeat the Hornets 3-1. The Wildcats would move on to the semifinals to take on the North Star Bearcats.

Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich (#2) took on the Nelson County Chargers (#7) in the third game of the night. The Cardinals defeated the Chargers 3-0.

The final match of the night included the New Rockford-Sheyenne Rockets (#3) and the Rolla Bulldogs (#6). The Rockets recently played the Bulldogs on Oct. 28, so they knew their tricks. The Rockets pulled off the win in four sets (25-19, 25-18, 21-25, 25-13). The Rockets then headed into the semifinals round to play the Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich Cardinals.

Semifinals: Bearcats versus Wildcats. Which cat will walk away and move on to the championship? North Star hasn't lost a single game all year, versus the Wildcats, who have lost six games in the regular season. Benson County fought hard, even winning the third set against the Bearcats, but there wasn't enough momentum to defeat the Bearcats. North Star walked away with a 3-1 victory.

This next match kept fans on the edge of their seats. The Rockets or the Cardinals, which team will fly into the championship round to take on the Bearcats? The previous matchup of these two teams, back on Oct. 19, wasn't nearly as competitive as this game was. New Rockford-Sheyenne came out confident and determined with their heads high in hopes of defeating Langdon.

The Rockets only allowed Langdon to win each set by a maximum of four points. Langdon took the first set 25-23. The Rockets came back in the second set to take the win 25-20. But knowing how competitive Langdon is, the Rockets knew they would have to fight for the next two sets. After a long fighting rally, the Rockets were defeated 26-24 in the third, and 25-21 in the fourth.

All in all the Rockets proved that they belong in the top three for Region 4. With this loss, the Rockets moved on to play for third place against the Benson County Wildcats.

Keep an eye out in the Nov. 22 issue for the Rockets versus Wildcats portion of the Region 4 Volleyball tournament.

Region 4 Tournament

Quarterfinals

Monday, Nov. 8

NR-S 3, Rolla 1

NR-S 25 25 21 25

Rolla 19 18 25 13

NR-S Stats:

Assists: O'Connor 32, Belquist 4, Peterson 4, Cudworth 1, Myhre 1, Wobbema 1.

Kills: Belquist 17, Myhre 10, Cudworth 9, Peterson 5, O'Connor 4, Wobbema 2, Demester 1.

Blocks: Peterson 3, Wobbema 2, Myhre 1.

Aces: Demester 3, Belquist 2, Cudworth 2, Peterson 2, O'Connor 1.

Digs: Belquist 31, Demester 28, O'Connor 17, Cudworth 16, Peterson 11, Thomas 4, Dockter 3, Wobbema 1, Cudworth 1.

Rolla Stats:

Stats unavailable at press time.

Semifinals

Tuesday, Nov. 9

NR-S 1, LA/E/M 3

NR-S 23 25 24 21

LA/E/M 25 20 26 25

NR-S Stats:

Assists: O'Connor 35, Peterson 6, Cudworth 1, Belquist 1.

Kills: Belquist 21, Cudworth 9, Peterson 6, Myhre 5, Wobbema 3, O'Connor 1.

Blocks: Myhre 2, Cudworth 1, Peterson 1.

Aces: Demester 3, Cudworth 2, Belquist 1, Peterson 1.

Digs: Cudworth 28, Belquist 23, Demester 20, O'Connor 17, Peterson 5, Dockter 5, Thomas 4, Myhre 1.

LA/E/M Stats:

Stats unavailable at press time.