After losing momentum due to technical errors and dropping a game to MCM, Garretson comes back to power through against Tea
by Kylie Uhl, Blue Ink
After a successful sweep of their competitors the week before, the Garretson netters faced McCook Central- Montrose on Tuesday, October 15 at the Dragon's Lair. Struggling to put up a fight throughout the whole game, the Blue Dragons took the L. Many fans were expecting a more intense match; however, the game wasn’t as nail biting as anticipated.
Lily Ranschau goes for a kill vs. MCM
The Blue Dragons (12-8) were looking forward to the match up against MCM (18-3). The #4 ranked Cougars won the first set 17-25. The Dragons took the W in the second set, 18-25.
Garretson continued playing strong to keep the momentum in the third set, but lost 22-25. During this set the scoreboard went out while Garretson held a slight lead over the Cougars late in the game. Some spectators believe the distraction threw the girls off momentum-wise, causing them to lose the fourth set 15-25.
On Thursday, October 17, the Blue Dragons played Tea at Thunder Alley. The matchup was fair, as both teams were sitting near the .500 mark. Many players were anticipating this game and hoping to redeem themselves from the Tuesday game.
Junior netter Payton Hove acknowledged the loss and was positive about their next game. “For our game on Thursday, I know that we need to just play as a team and know our positions and give it our all,” she said.
On Thursday, the Blue Dragons came out strong with a 25-14 first set win.
They struggled to find the gaps in the Titans’ coverage in the second set, evening the game at one a piece.
After a back and forth third set, Garretson was able to put the nail in the coffin on the heels of a big block by Lizzie Olson and well-placed kills by Kennedy Buckneberg, taking the third set 28-26.
Garretson struggled to keep that momentum in the fourth set. With the Blue Dragons winning 2 sets and the Titans winning the other 2, the battle was on. Bringing the fight into the decisive fifth set, the positivity was at an all-time high for the young ladies.
“As a senior, I believe I bring a lot of positive motivation to everyone and I always try to keep a smile on every one of my teammates [faces],” said senior netter Aftyn Heitkamp.
With a very enthusiastic crowd, the girls tackled set five.
With student Dustin Haas shouting “Let's go!” during the game point serve for Garretson, the ball tossed up by senior Kenzie Northrup was served into Tea territory. The Blue Dragons prepared for the ball to be hit to their side but were happily let down as the ball never made it over the net due to mistakes on the Tea side, giving the Blue Dragons the 15-7 win. Garretson defeated Tea 3-2.
The Blue Dragons improved their record to 13-9 with three games left in their regular season, including their final home game on Tuesday against West Central, which was senior night. At that game, Garretson took the win in three sets at 25-21, 25-18, and 25-20, maintaining their 2nd seed status and upping the ratio to 14-9.
Garretson caps off their season with games at Sioux Valley and at Colman-Egan next week, on October 28 and 29, respectively. The Region 3A Tournaments will be held in early November.
