Staff picture by Travis Rosenau
Minnesota Valley Lutheran’s Mackenzie Merseth goes as much as spike the ball throughout a Tomahawk Conference volleyball match with Springfield on Tuesday evening at MVL High School in New Ulm.

NEW ULM — Minnesota Valley Lutheran’s four-set win over Springfield on Tuesday evening to shut out play within the Tomahawk Conference helped the Chargers hit one among their season objectives, however it didn’t come with out a battle or a value.

With a 25-12, 18-25, 25-9, 25-19 win at MVL High School, the Chargers completed the convention schedule with a 4-4 mark. But they noticed the damage bug chew them once more within the course of as freshman Jennarae Bates went down early within the fourth set with an ankle damage.

Bates made some good performs for the Chargers up till her damage within the fourth set compelled her out with seven kills and a block. Bates was additionally filling in at center hitter instead of senior standout Ava Munsen, who was lately shut down for the season as a consequence of a damaged hand.

Munsen damage her hand virtually two weeks in the past and performed via a match in opposition to Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart with it earlier than an x-ray revealed her hand to be damaged.

“We had given the girls off on Friday and didn’t find out until after practice on Thursday,” MVL head coach Amy Pearson mentioned. “So we actually simply had [Monday] to fine-tune and actually work on a lineup with out Ava, which clearly is an enormous gap to fill. So Jenna was a proper facet, we moved her to the center and now Jenna has that ankle damage.

“So it’ll be back to the drawing board tomorrow and we just have the one day and we’ve got Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s right away on Thursday, then we’ve got Nicollet and Sibley East next week Monday and Tuesday. So not a lot of practices, but we’re going to have to do some shifting probably. Now we’re all out of hitters, so we’ll have to bring some JV players up to fill some holes that we have and see what we can do to get our lineup situated.”

While one other unlucky damage was the low level of the evening, Pearson mentioned the Chargers hit one among their preseason objectives of attending to at the very least .500 within the convention this season. Last season the Chargers have been 0-8 within the convention.

Gabbie Bleick led the Chargers on Tuesday with 13 kills, 13 digs, three aces and a block, whereas Mackenzie Merseth had 12 kills, 11 digs and two blocks and Olivia Hammer had eight digs and three blocks. Marley Schauer added 5 kills and 5 blocks for MVL, whereas Kerigan Brau piled up 34 set assists, 11 digs and three kills.

Meanwhile the Tigers dropped to 1-6 within the convention this season with the loss and have yet another likelihood so as to add to their convention win complete on Friday at New Ulm Cathedral in a 4:30 p.m. contest.

They have been led by three gamers with seven kills apiece in Jasmine Peterson-Novotny, Brooklyn Sturm and Bree Rasmussen. Peterson-Novotny additionally had 13 digs, whereas Sturm had 17 set assists, 15 digs and three aces, Rasmussen had 15 set assists and Emma Hauger had 14 digs.

Despite main the primary set 4-1 after a kill by Sturm, the Tigers let the Chargers go on a 6-0 run after that to completely take the lead the remainder of the set. The Tigers minimize their deficit to 12-11 within the set after a kill by Jalivia Richert, however a 13-1 MVL run closed the set with an enormous win for the Chargers.

The Chargers did rating some factors on a number of kills throughout that run, however the Tigers dedicated seven errors in that stretch so as to add to their troubles.

The Tigers got here out trying like a brand new crew within the second set, grabbing a fast 4-0 lead after back-to-back Sturm kills. The Chargers minimize the deficit to 16-14 halfway via after three consecutive Springfield errors, however the Tigers cleaned issues up and pulled forward 23-16, led by three kills from Rasmussen throughout that point.

After MVL minimize the deficit to 23-18, a kill by Peterson-Novotny and an error tied the match at 1-all.

The third set was all MVL because the Chargers closed it out on a 12-0 run, getting a kill from Brau to shut the set.

The Tigers led 4-1 early within the fourth set when Bates was injured and helped off the court docket. Pearson took a timeout after that to determine a brand new lineup, and the Chargers responded out of the timeout by reducing their deficit to 9-7.

After the Tigers bought a 3-0 run to steer 12-7, the Chargers bought a 5-0 run to tie it up, with a block by Schauer and a kill by Bleick closing the run. Moments later, MVL was again within the driver’s seat and elevated its result in 7 at one level earlier than a spike from Bleick ended the set and match.

Pearson mentioned she was proud of the crew’s serve obtain on Tuesday and that it was going to be key the remainder of the common season heading into playoffs.

“When we can get passes up to our setter and she’s not chasing all over the floor, we really have a nice front row if we can be in system and get the balls to them in system,” Pearson mentioned.

Tuesday evening was additionally Charging for a Cure Night, with cash being raised for each Andreas Cancer Center in Mankato and Virginia Piper Cancer Institute in New Ulm.

MVL’s nonconference match with St. Mary’s is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at St. Mary’s High School.