Nov 21, 2008 - 04:05:24 CST
MINOT - Fargo North came out flying in a bid to upset Century in Thursday's quarterfinal of the state Class A volleyball tournament. The Spartans got off the launch pad, but it proved to be a short flight.North stunned Century 25-23 in the first game, but the Patriots, seeded No. 1 out of the West Region, didn't require much recovery time. They swept the next three games 25-18, 25-21 and 25-17 to advance to tonight's semifinal round.
Century, 31-5, takes on Grand Forks Red River, 27-6 and No. 2 from the East, in an 8 p.m. semifinal at the Minot State Dome.
North, the East Region's No. 4 qualifier, jumped on Century 11-2 in the first game. The Spartans were still in charge 19-11 before the Patriots began to assert themselves.
Century battled back to forge a 23-all tie before North put the game away on an Angela Waller hit and a game-closing wide shot by Century's Madi Buck.
Six-foot junior hitter Carli Peterson said Century's ability to battle back and nearly pull the first game out was the key to the match.
"Toward the middle of the first game we got a lot of momentum and that carried through," said Peterson, who had 16 kills on the night.
Buck, also a 6-foot junior hitter, agreed.
"We got a lot of momentum at the end of the first game," said Buck, who racked up a match-high 20 kills. "We got a lot better at ball control and that produced a lot more hits and we got a lot more energy."
Century coach Jeni Walsh said the Patriots steadily improved as the evening wore on.
"As the match went on our timing on blocks got better and our ball control got better. I was very pleased with that," she said.
That became evident in the second game. The Patriots jumped out to a 13-7 lead and never trailed. Peterson had two kills and a block for Century's final three points as the Patriots put together an 11-4 run down the stretch.
The two teams traded leads of four points or fewer in the third game until Century took command with five straight counters that produced an 18-11 lead. A tip by Buck and a wide shot by Waller closed out a 25-21 Century verdict.
Buck had three kills, helping Century to a fast start in the fourth game. CHS opened a 7-1 lead and North got no closer than five points the rest of the way.
While the Patriots prevailed against North, Peterson said they can ill-afford another balky launch cycle in the state tournament.
"If we start out playing that badly tomorrow, bad things are going to happen, that's for sure," she said.
Buck attributed part of the slow getaway to tournament jitters. "I think nerves just got the best of us ¦ and our ball control was really bad," she said. "¦ We got those nerves out of the way and now we know we can't slide through. ¦ We've got to come into every game with a lot of energy."
Century has lost just once to a North Dakota opponent - 2-1 against Red River in the first week of the season - and is on a 12-match winning streak.
Fargo North 25 18 21 17
Century 23 25 25 25
FARGO NORTH: Kills - Kelsey Larson 13, Angela Waller 12, Kayla Berg 7. Blocks - Larson 3. Assists - Kristin Cochran 33. Digs - Larson 12, Cochran 11, Berg 11, Waller 7, Hope Marty 7, Michelle Dehne 6. Aces - Marty 2.
CENTURY: Kills - Madi Buck 20, Carli Peterson 16, Tricia Sorensen 10, Alexis Jacobs 4. Blocks - Buck 3, Sorensen 3. Assists - Hailee Walsh 42. Digs - Erika Jossart 23, Walsh 11, Lexi Holzer 7, Buck 6, Peterson 6. Aces - Sorensen 4, Jossart 3, Morgan Wald 2.
Records: FN 22-17, Century 31-5.
Grand Forks Red River 3, Williston 0
Grand Forks Red River came away with the most convincing win of the first day, downing Williston 25-19, 25-14, 25-19.
The victory was Red River's 10th in its last dozen starts. The Roughriders' only losses in that stretch are to East Region champion West Fargo.
"We're on a run right now. We've been doing a very good job of being aggressive every night," said Megan Storstad, Red River's 5-8 senior outside hitter.
Junior hitter Emily Evers led the way for Red River with 10 kills. Emily Asche and Jordyn Steffen added eight and seven kills, respectively.
Megan Torgerson, a senior hitter, led the way for Williston with five kills.
Storstad said tonight's semifinal matchup with Century holds plenty of promise. Red River is the only North Dakota team to beat the Patriots.
"We beat Century in Bismarck (in August), but we know they've improved so it's going to be a good match," Storstad noted. "And we've improved, too."
Williston 19 14 19
Red River 25 25 25
WILLISTON: Kills - Megan Torgerson 5, Jackie Lee 4, Brittany Nice 3. Blocks - Torgerson 3, Nice 2. Assists - Rachel Hennessy 12. Digs - Katelyn Christensen 11, Kayla Kain 6, Hennessy 5. Aces - Ashley Slade 2.
RED RIVER: Kills - Emily Evers 10, Emily Asche 8, Jordyn Steffen 7, Brooke Larson 6, Megan Storstad 5. Blocks - Asche 4, Evers 2, Larson 2. Assists - Megan Stoley 16, Rachel Black 12, Evers 3. Digs - Storstad 9, Stoley 8, Alexa Bateman 7, Larson 6, Stefffen 6. Aces - Steffen 4, Bateman 2.
Records: Williston 21-12, Red River 27-6.
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