Mankato West’s relentless hitting attack sparked a 25-18, 25-18, 25-15 Big Nine Conference volleyball sweep of Mankato East at the West gym Thursday.
West (15-5, 7-1 in Big Nine) started out strong and never was really threatened, blasting away from a variety of angles on the court. Sophomore outside hitter Maleah Grunst led the way with 14 kills and four ace serves, while senior outside hitter Ella Olson totaled 12 kills and four ace serves. Two others — senior right-side hitter Aubrey Doyscher and senior middle hitter Addi Kuiper — banged nine kills each.
“Our passing was really good to start with and it kept up the whole game,” Grunst said. “That was really helpful and our setter connection enabled us to mix it up. Our back-row players are good at calling what is open and then our hitters adjust to that. We did a good job of our opportunities to hit the open spots. We were able to mix it up and all of our hitters were on. We tried to get a block up and keep our passes in. We wanted to be in the right spots and then just go after the ball. “
After East (10-8, 3-5) began the match with a Jayda Swalve ace hit, Lydia Banse’s kill ignited 6-0 run which featured two kills from Olson, one from Doyscher and a pair of ace serves from Grunst. Doyscher’s ace tip began another surge with kills from Olson and two from Kuiper expanding the margin to 22-15 on Grunst’s sideline blast. Doyscher’s kills and another serve ace from Grunst closed things out.
“We had really good passes which allowed us to set all of our hitters,” Doyscher said. “We also were able to get some back-row spikes which made it tough for them to defend us. We were able to find the open spots and get some kills.”
Leading 11-10 in Game 2, Banse’s off-speed winner began a 7-0 burst which stretched the margin to 18-10 on Banse’s ace tip. Sophomore setter Courtney O’Conner delivered six straight service points and turned in a stellar effort in collecting 39 assists. Doyscher and Kuiper came up with ace hits down the stretch before Olson’s back-row rocket finished off the 25-18 triumph.
“They’re a very good team,” said East junior outside hitter Carlie Wendinger, who ripped 11 kills. “They’re a very powerful hitting team that is tough to defend. They mixed up and hit from all over. Consistency has been a struggle for us this year. We have our moments, but we need to get better at that.”
West shot out to a 12-4 advantage in set three and then controlled play with its smooth attacking style of play. Kuiper smacked five kills in the game while Olson and Grust tallied three apiece. Swalve ended up with seven kills for the Cougars.
“I told (our team) before the match that no matter what the records are that these guys are always going to fight back and be competitive,” West coach Stacy Jackson said. “They never let up and that was good. We’ve had a well-rounded season where everyone picks each other up. Everybody contributes every night and that is huge for us. We’re hitting our peak right now and hopefully we can keep it going.”
West plays Tuesday at Rochester John Marshall while East plays Thursday at Austin.