MVL holds on for victory vs. Wabasso

By DOUG MONSON

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Minnesota Valley Lutheran head coach Julie Detjen knew her team must stop talented Wabasso senior Brandi Wurscher from controlling the tempo of the game -- she didn't anticipate her team playing catch-up for almost the entire match.

MVL battled Wabasso in a thriller Tuesday night, pulling out a win in five games, 5-15, 15-12, 15-10, 15-3.

Wabasso fell behind early in game one, dropping five quick points to start the match. But Wurscher wouldn't let her team fall behind too far as she stepped to the serving line and delivered a five-point rally to tie the game. The momentum was enough as the Wabasso players rallied behind Wurscher, running the game to a 15-5 win. Wabasso's Katie Schumacher and Wurscher dominated the front lines and kept MVL off-balance, contributing largely to Wabasso's first game success.

Wabasso head coach Val Oftedahl said she thought her team did a good job early in the match playing with the taller MVL players.

"We knew they were going to be big and they were going to block," Oftedahl said.

And it was the blocking that helped MVL find a rhythm against Wabasso, but not before falling behind 8-2 in game two. Once again, MVL found themselves looking at a deficit they would have to climb out of, and they did it on the smooth serving of Joeleen Torvick and Danielle Kramer, and the aggressive defense of Jessi Merseth, Emily Buck and Angie Unke.

Torvick started the run for MVL, pushing the Chargers within two at 6-8. But it was Buck and Merseth who provided key blocks up front to tame Schumacher and Wurscher.

Merseth finished the night with six blocks and seven kills, while Unke chipped in four blocks and nine kills.

"We didn't play our best," Unke said. "We shut her (Wurscher) down in a few of the games. She was their key player that hurt us."

Unke managed to deliver most of her kills and blocks in key moments, including late in game two when MVL was threatening to tie the game. Unke blocked Schumacher on a spike to gain the point for MVL and force Wabasso into a time out. The point tied the game for MVL, and from there the team would run the final four points, including the final point on an ace serve by Holly Enter.

Enter finished the night with 15 service points, followed by Kramer with 12 points. Consistent serving allowed MVL to stay close in the match, with the Chargers racking up 10 ace serves as a team, but MVL's ability to control Wurscher's attack to the net helped secure the victory.

"She got frustrated because we weren't getting the sets to her," Oftedahl said.

Detjen said she knew the team was going to have to find a way to stop Wurscher so she concentrated her game plan on attacking Wurscher at the net and using two blockers if necessary.

"I saw her getting frustrated and I told them they're doing a good job," Detjen said.

Detjen said the team struggled early with backrow passing, which was evident early in the match when MVL lacked a consistent offensive attack.

"Emily was really running to get to all of those (passes), taking us out of our offensive set," Detjen said.

Despite running around, Buck finished the night with 32 set assists and helped MVL find a steady offensive attack at the net with big kills as well as big passes. The consistency helped MVL battle back in games three and four, although MVL dropped game four to even the match.

But in game five, MVL would use an early serving rally by Enter to jump out to an eight point lead and secure the match.

Rachel Olson and Jessica Beckendorf also keyed the MVL attack with Olson recording seven kills and six digs, and Beckendorf added six kills.

The loss drops Wabasso to 15-7 on the year and 6-2 in the Tomahawk conference. Oftedahl said her team struggled to get the easy points.

"We gave up too many easy points at times we couldn't afford to do that," Oftedahl said.

The win improves MVL's record to 14-3 overall and 7-2 in the conference, which Detjen believed would be enough to give the Chargers sole possession of third place.

MVL plays in the Subway Tourney, Friday and Saturday at Southwest State University in Marshall, Minn.