ROCKETS OUTLAST THUNDER

To borrow a popular sporting cliche, "This one had all the makings."

It looked to be a great matchup on paper based on their recent track records, dating back to last season's magical run for the NR-S Rockets and Medina/Pingree-Buchanan's hot start to 2023 against quality opponents.

And, by the time the last point fell to the floor, it was crystal clear that two very evenly-matched programs gave all they had and then some.

The Rockets withstood a tremendous challenge from the Thunder, winning a five-set marathon Tuesday night, September 5, in the NR-S Gym by scores of 15-25, 25-16, 25-23, 23-25 and 15-10 to earn their first victory this season.

At first, M/P-B looked to have all the momentum on their side, taking a 10-point win in set one behind their three-pronged attack of senior Allison Thomas, junior Maddie Gefroh and sophomore Brynn Sorenson.

But the Rockets turned the tables effectively in set two, making use of their own power hitter in senior Kelsie Belquist, along with Class of 2024 teammates Lucy Meier and Lora Wobbema.

Now with the match all square at one set apiece, the action settled into a tense back-and-forth, point-by-point tussle that lasted all of the third and fourth sets.

Neither team could seem to establish dominance over the other, but NR-S grabbed the advantage with a two-point win in the third, 25-23. With their backs to the wall, the Thunder responded in kind with their own 25-23 triumph, setting the stage for a fabulous set five for non-region bragging rights.

NR-S would defend their home court with a hard-fought match-ending set win in the race to 15 points, to the delight of the partisan Rocket faithful.

Even with the loss, the Thunder remain a viable contender in one of the tougher regions in Class B, where it isn't uncommon to see five or six regional tournament teams with at least 20 victories by the end of the year.

Region 3 is the home of recent three-time state champion LaMoure/Litchville-Marion, two-time winners Linton/H-M-B, and Oakes also made two championship match appearances in the late 2010's. This year, parity should reign supreme in south-central North Dakota, as there is no clear-cut favorite to advance to Fargo.

Belquist's athleticism at the net ruled the night for NR-S, as she finished with 23 kills and 18 digs, and Meier also had a great showing with 13. Wobbema's hitting in the middle was key as well, finishing with eight kills.

The biggest difference in the match was the Rockets' stout defense of their net. In all, Coach Sara Myhre's team posted an almost-unbelievable 29 blocks.

Varsity rotation newcomer Addysen Fandrich, a junior, used all of her 5'10" frame to lead the way with seven stuffs. Belquist and Wobbema had six apiece, and Meier and Ava Peterson posted five of their own.

Peterson had 41 assists for 15 digsthe Rockets.

Sorenson led M-P-B (5-3 overall) with 16 kills, followed by Thomas (14) and Gefroh (10). Thomas and Sorenson also passed the 20-dig mark, and Violet Bohl had 33 assists.

Following a non-region match this past Thursday with the BCN Bison, NR-S has another highly anticipated matchup with rival Carrington Thursday night, September 14, at CHS.

Nonregion Volleyball

Tuesday, September 5

NR-S 3, M-P-B 2

at New Rockford

NR-S 15 25 25 23 15 - 3

M-P-B 25 16 23 25 10 - 2

NR-S Individual Stats

Kills: Kelsie Belquist 23, Lucy Meier 13, Lora Wobbema 8, Kaiya O'Connor and Ava Peterson 5, Addysen Fandrich 2.

Assists: Peterson 41, O'Connor 5, Belquist and Wobbema 2, Logan Cudworth and Fandrich 1.

Aces: Peterson 3, O'Connor 2, Meier 1.

Blocks: Fandrich 7, Belquist and Wobbema 6, Meier and Peterson 5.

Digs: Belquist 18, Cudworth and Peterson 15, Meier and O'Connor 11, Wobbema 4, Fandrich 1.

M-P-B Individual Stats

Kills: Brynn Sorenson 16, Allison Thomas 14, Maddie Gefroh 10, Violet Bohl 3, Cierra Mack 1.

Assists: Bohl 33, Sorenson 3, Alaina Bosche and Thomas 1.

Aces: Bohl, Bosche and Thomas 2, Gefroh and Mack 1.

Blocks: Thomas 3, Gefroh 2, Mack and Jorgen Tripp 1.

Digs: Thomas 24, Sorenson 20, Bosche 17, Bohl 14, Mack 13, Gefroh 4.

Junior Varsity

M-P-B 2, NR-S 1

NR-S: 25 20 11 - 1

M-P-B: 23 25 15 - 2

C-Squad

NR-S 2, M-P-B 1

NR-S: 23 35 15 - 2

M-P-B: 25 22 13 - 1

8th Grade

NR-S 2, M-P-B 0

NR-S: 25 25 X - 2

M-P-B: 23 21 X - 0

7th Grade

M-P-B 2, NR-S 0

NR-S: 14 12 X - 0

M-P-B: 25 25 X - 2