Last week, the Garretson Blue Dragon Volleyball team participated in the Big East Conference Tournament, bracketing against Beresford, McCook County/Montrose, and Baltic. Despite winning against Beresford in three sets, the team had more difficulty with the next two teams, losing in four sets to MCM and in five to rival Baltic.
The Lady Dragons faced off with Beresford and MCM on Thursday, September 8 in the Dragon's Lair. Despite allowing Beresford to lead for a bit in the first set, Garretson rallied and pulled ahead, winning 25-18. They then reminded the Watchdogs why they had the upper hand, as they went on to win the second set 25-19 and the third set 25-21.
Moving into the next round of the conference tournament that same evening, the Dragons took on MCM, who had just beat Sioux Valley 3-1.
Despite allowing MCM to get an early lead in the first set, the Dragons soon placed more balls in the Cougars' court, pulling ahead to 19-9 and taking the first set 25-13.
Unfortunately, they lost their steam while MCM rallied, and the Cougars took the lead at the beginning of the second set while Garretson netted zero, 4-0. Later in the game, the Dragons were able to snag back the ball and went on a 10-point run while holding MCM to 20 points, but MCM kept the lead and pulled ahead, ultimately winning the set 20-25.
The third set saw much the same, with MCM taking the lead early and keeping it with solid just-inside-the-line attacks. Garretson kept up the pressure, and though trailing, stayed close on the Cougars' heels. Halfway through the set, the two teams were tied 14-14. The Dragons pulled slightly ahead but couldn't seem to stay as the Cougars placed a few more solid plays into the Dragon's court. They didn't let the Cougars take the win easily however, making moves that impressed the fans. Unfortunately, they just couldn't get past the Cougars' defenses, losing the third set 21-25.
In set four, the two teams stayed nearly tied for much of the set. At 17-19, it looked as though Garretson might be able to prevail, but MCM found a hole in the center of the court and exploited it while the Dragons knocked a few balls out of bounds, allowing the Cougars to have the lead. A final out-of-bounds ball gave MCM the win, with a set score of 20-25.
Leading the game in kills was Kaylin Koch with 13, closely followed by Logan Bly (11), Aleah Wagner (9), and Anna Jones (9). Wagner, Koch, and Sydney Olson each had two aces, while Wagner also led in digs with 16. Grace Hove continued to slay with assists, acquiring 34 more to add to her tally.
Moving into the consolation round to vie for third place, Garretson headed to Chester on Saturday to face off with Baltic. The bitter rivals had only recently beaten the Dragons in three sets, and Garretson was looking for some payback.
The Dragons nearly took the Bulldogs' hide as they snapped up the win in sets two and four and forced extra points in sets two and three, but Baltic managed to eke out the extra three points needed for the win in set five.
In all, the set scores were 21-25, 26-24, 26-28, 25-23, and 12-15, giving Garretson fourth place in the Big East Tournament.
The Lady Dragons next played Flandreau on Tuesday (results not available at press time), and will play in Elkton against Elkton-Lake Benton on Saturday. They'll be back on the home court Tuesday, September 20 to take on Dell Rapids, with JV starting at 6:00 p.m. and Varsity beginning around 7:15 p.m.
