A topsy-turvy five-set thriller played out tonight at New London-Spicer, where the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team came out as 3-2 winners to get on a four-match winning streak. It was an exciting win that helped put away the bad taste of last year's 3-0 loss by sweep at home to NL-S. That NL-S match was B-B-E's only regular-season, non-tournament loss (best-of-five matches).
Once it got to game five tonight, after the teams were in a 2-2 tie, the Jaguars scorched the home squad and coasted to a 15-7 win. The match lasted approximately 1 hour and 58 minutes. Game five was over in nine minutes flat. Overall, the Jaguars hit at a 21.7 percent clip with a trio of hitters in double digits: Adley Hagen (18 kills), Kacey Fischer (17) and Kadynce Haider (13). Kacey Fischer had 23 digs, and libero Ava Deters had 21 digs plus a team-high three service aces on 22-of-23 serving.
How tonight played out...
The Jaguars came out sluggish in game one and took a 25-17 loss. They played rather poorly for multiple stretches as the Wildcats expanded a 13-9 lead with a 5-0 run before ultimately going up 22-12 at one point. What was important down the stretch after they fell behind by 10 points (at set point) was a late rally that featured two kills by Adley Hagen and an ace block by Kamie Fischer. After an NL-S timeout, the Wildcats earned a kill off a block attempt to take the opening game.
Here's action from the middle of game two tonight as the Jaguars were improving their play and shaking off the poor game one performance:
The Jaguars played well through most of game two and showed they were a much better team than what they showed in game one. They trailed 22-20 before Coach Borgerding called a timeout. Kacey Fischer then hit back-to-back kills to tie it up. A net violation put them down 23-22, however, before Kadynce Haider's ace tip tied it back up. Kenna Lieser's ace block brought game point, and the Wildcats hit out of bounds (into the left referee stand) to end the game in favor of B-B-E by a 25-23 score.
You can watch the end of game two play out in this exciting video...
Game three seemed up for grabs, with B-B-E holding a 5-4 lead before falling back 8-6. They took an 11-9 lead and never trailed from that point as they got stronger down the stretch in a 25-19 game three win.
After taking the 2-1 set lead, the Jaguars built leads of 8-4 and 15-11 in game four before the Wildcats stormed back. An NL-S kill and back-to-back ace serves tied game four at 16-16. The Wildcats turned the tables on the Jaguars and forged a 20-17 lead before Kacey Fischer earned a kill, an ace serve and then another kill to tie it at 20-20. Trailing 23-21, Kadynce Haider knocked down a kill, but the Jaguars hit into the net to fall back 24-22. Haider followed with another kill to keep the set going, but the Jaguars hit into the net once again to fall 25-23.
The Jaguars take a 9-2 record into this Thursday's home match against Kimball Area (6-6). The Cubs defeated Litchfield tonight by a 3-0 margin.
Here's my post-match interview with Coach Borgerding tonight at NL-S:
Fun fact! on this night of this week two years ago, the Jaguars traveled to NL-S and won a 3-2 barn burner as well. On that night, where conditions were even warmer than they were tonight at NL-S, the Jaguars trailed 13-11 in game five before scoring the final four points in a thrilling 15-13 win. Allison Dingmann, Class of 2023, finished off the win with a huge ace block for the game winner. It was a night I will never forget. You can read a light blog recap that I posted later that night (September 6, 2022) by clicking here: https://shorturl.at/sIDsf. Three years ago, when NL-S traveled to our house, the Jaguars won 3-0 on another night I will never forget. It was the first time I was in a packed, full house gymnasium since the pandemic unofficially ended the previous spring in Jaguar Country. This makes us 3-1 in the last four years against our neighbors to the south.
In 2019, the Wildcats won 3-1 on their court against the Jaguars. In 2018, which was Coach Kevin Weller's final year as head coach, the Jaguars won by a 3-2 margin at our house with a 15-9 win in game five. Over the years this century, the NL-S vs. B-B-E volleyball matches have featured outstanding battles and making for a terrific rivalry. The Jaguars swept NL-S in New London in 2017, and they won 3-1 in Brooten in 2016. In 2015, the Wildcats won by a 3-2 margin on their home floor, and they swept the Jaguars in 2014 in Brooten during a season where they lost in the Section 3AA finals to powerhouse Marshall Area. The Jaguars won 3-1 in 2013 at New London (on September 24 that fall). In 2012, their matchup went five sets with the Jaguars winning 3-2 in Brooten (Coach Borgerding's senior year.) In 2010 and 2011, the Jaguars had 3-0 wins over NL-S.
Back in 2009, during a season when NL-S finished 31-3 overall and played in the Class 2A state tournament, they lost 3-2 to the Jaguars on their floor in New London. On September 15, 2008, the Jaguars won 3-1 against the Wildcats in Brooten during a season when they later took fourth place at the state tournament (Coach Weller's second year). In 2007, the Jaguars and Wildcats did not meet in a best-of-five match, but they did face off in the Willmar Cardinal Classic. The Jaguars won that match up by a 2-1 margin. If you tally all of this up, from 2008 through this year, the Jaguars are 5-1 in best-of-five matches with NL-S. Crazy!!! In summary, during best-of-five matches with NL-S from 2008 through today, the Jaguars hold an 11-5 record. None of this includes regular season tournament meetings between the teams, which has occurred multiple years (that's too much for me to look over tonight).
No rest for the restless! Here's my third fall sports show of this season:
I'll probably repost it again on Thursday in a new blog post. It does include one glaring, massive error about football. The program's 25-game losing streak did not stretch back to 2014. I have no idea where that came from. It was largely across the 2018, 2019 and 2020 seasons. In 2017, the Jaguars won their final 7 regular season games but lost in the section semifinals to start the losing streak that was halted in the 2021 season opener.
Area volleyball scores on September 10:
West Central Area 3, Montevideo 0
Renville County West 3, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 0
Browerville 3, Upsala 0
Maple Lake 3, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 0 (a quality Section 5AA win for the Irish, who improve to 5-3 overall)
Minneota 3, Dawson-Boyd 0
Parkers Prairie 3, Brandon-Evansville 0
Underwood 3, Ashby 0
BOLD 3, Melrose Area 2 (Warriors win game five 15-13)
MACCRAY 3, Yellow Medicine East 0
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 3, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 1
Swanville 3, Bertha-Hewitt 1
Minnewaska Area 3, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 0
Sauk Centre 3, Benson 0 (Coach Jim Klaphake's Mainstreeters are 10-2 overall)
