Sports
PHOTOS: Visiting Eagles Hand Rosemount Irish First Loss of the Season
Rosemount went into Tuesday's South Suburban Conference volleyball match against Apple Valley undefeated but were swept in three games by the visiting Eagles
Apple Valley bounced back from a disappointing 2-2 finish in the Aerie Challenge last weekend with a convincing win over host Rosemount to open the South Suburban Conference volleyball season Tuesday.
The Eagles swept the Irish, winning 25-20, 25-19 and 25-19. It was the first loss of the season for Rosemount.
“We didn’t play bad,” said Rosemount coach Smokey Vitek. “We made timely errors. We need to not have those timely errors when we’re playing teams like Apple Valley. Apple Valley didn’t have timely errors.
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“I thought Apple Valley played really well,” added Vitek. “They played with great defense but I think the real difference in the match was who had the passion to win and who played like a team. We played more afraid of losing, and like six individuals on the court.”
Apple Valley senior outside hitter Maren Low had 16 kills and 17 digs.
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Colleen Moore and Natalie Johnson had six kills each. Shanotta Bawek had nine digs, Kelsey Harms had six and Garet Miller five. Bawek had 30 assists.
Apple Valley’s team chemistry and communication were good, said Eagles coach Gordy Hagert.
“You just saw a lot of energy and confidence in our kids,” said Hagert. “The thing that we did so much better tonight – and it was a struggle for us this weekend – our serve receive was just so much better. When you give the ball to the setter, we have a chance to get up and swing.
“It was just fun to see them playing that way,” Hagert added. “It was good old-fashioned volleyball. Fun volleyball. There was a lot of joy in their play and we haven’t had that necessarily.”
Eighth grader Brittany McLean had seven kills on 13 attempts and three blocks to lead Rosemount.
Rosemount’s Natalie Busher had seven kills. Mikaela Sullivan had 28 assists. Jillian Blanc and Nicole Valentini had six digs each. Katie Duff and Megan Jacobs had three blocks apiece.
Rosemount (3-1, 0-1) plays at second-ranked Bloomington Jefferson Thursday, starting at 7 p.m.
Apple Valley (5-3, 1-0) hosts Prior Lake Thursday starting at 7 p.m.
