Moorhead High volleyball places sixth at state tournament
November 14, 2018
The Moorhead High volleyball team ended its season with a fourth consecutive trip to the state tournament at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The team’s run ended with a loss Nov. 10 in the consolation championship game.
In the first-round game on Nov. 8, which was a rematch against Champlin Park from last year, the Spuds lost 0-3 to the No. 2 seeded Rebels who went on to win the tournament.
Moorhead Coach Char Lien said most of Champlin Park’s team returned this year, and the experience the Rebels get by playing in the metro area against the high level of competition has given them the ability to compete in the tough matches. Lien said her Moorhead players were relative newbies, as most of the players that returned this year were playing new positions, and some of the newbies were playing their “first match on a big-time court like this.”
“We knew they were going to come with a lot of hitters, and with having the player of the year as their setter, we knew we were up for a tall task,” Lien said. “The thing we focused on was just to make sure that our passing and serving was going to be solid so that we could run our offense, because we really feel that when we pass well, we have some good weapons as well. Unfortunately, the passing kind of broke down.”
She said they anticipated that Champlin Park would serve deep.
“We had a hard time making some adjustments early,” Lien said. “I think that kind of got into our heads a little bit.”
In looking to the next game, senior Brook Carney said the team needed “to do a better job of moving forward and not hanging our heads on our mistakes.” Carney led the team with nine kills, while Claire Howell had 16 assists and Jalen Ennen had 14 digs.
Playing even with the Rebels for periods of each set, in the end, Moorhead made too many unforced errors to be able to overcome Champlin Parks’ strengths. The Spuds lost 15-25, 17-25, and 15-25 to the team with five NCAA Division I recruits.
In the Nov. 9 consolation semifinal, the Spuds won an exciting five-set match, with scores of 18-25, 25-21, 25-18, 19-25 and 15-12, against first-time state tournament entrant Edina. The Spuds were led on offense by Jalen Ennen with 17 kills followed closely by Brook Carney with 15 kills. Mallory Lee added 12 kills of her own. Setter Claire Howell had 50 assists. Ennen also led with 17 digs, while Lee had 16 digs, and Brooke Walthall had 15 digs.
The Spuds ended the tournament and their season losing Nov. 10 in the consolation championship to No. 5 seeded Shakopee. The Spuds and the Sabers traded sets 23-25, 26-24, 22-25, and 25-22 to set up the fifth set. Moorhead came out strong and was ahead of the Sabers 7-3. The Spuds lost points on technical calls and play, bringing the score to 9-9, as the Sabers fought back. Shakopee won the final set 11-15 to take home the consolation trophy.
The Spuds were led by Jalen Ennen with 19 kills, while senior Brook Carney ended her high school career with 15 kills and Mallory Lee ended hers with 11 kills. Setter Claire Howell led the Spuds with 55 assists and added 22 digs. Lee added 19 digs to her high school totals.
“The team left everything on the court so there is nothing to hang our heads about,” Lien said. “It didn't quite go our way today, but we competed each and every point. We are proud of our efforts this weekend and of our amazing season. The growth this team made from the beginning of the season is quite impressive, and to cap it off by returning to the big dance for the fourth consecutive season is a feat few teams can achieve.”
The Spuds end with a 22-11 record for the season. This group of Spuds was impressive at the net compiling 212 blocks and 1,090 kills over their opponents. Defensively, the Spuds made 1,764 digs and served up 182 aces. The volleyball team has advanced to the state tournament six times in the last nine years.
– Bill Grover
Photo: Moorhead High’s Brook Carney goes up for a spike during the 3-2 win against Edina at the state volleyball tournament in St. Paul last weekend. Claire Howell (2) set up the ball, and Alexa Gronwold and Jalen Ennen (12) are ready to return the ball if needed. Carney had 39 kills during the three-day tournament. Photo credit: Bill Grover
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