A 22-match Thief River Falls home court winning streak ended Thursday when Roseau spoiled the Prowlers’ 2014 high school volleyball opener with a 3-1 decision.
The Rams won 25-23, 25-23, 21-25, 25-13.
It was Thief River Falls’ first setback in the Lincoln High School gym since a 3-0 loss to Win-E-Mac late in the 2011 season.
“Nerves were definitely a factor for us,” acknowledged first-year Thief River Falls coach Kerri Wichael. “There were four girls on the court with little to no varsity experience. I think it was a little overwhelming for them at first.”
The Prowlers struggled at the start, admitted Wichael. “We had a lot of net errors and missed serves early in the match,” she said.
Credit goes to the Rams, according to Wichael. “We did a great job of blocking at the net, but Roseau did a great of covering their hitters,” she explained.
After coming out of their shell, the Prowlers made a match of it. “Game 3, we played well, finally executing and playing as a team,” offered Wichael.
But it didn’t last. “Game 4, we struggled in our rotation,” noted Wichael. “That brought a bit of panic to the floor, and they couldn’t fight through it.”
Amelia Johnson, a 6-0 junior, led the Rams with 17 kills. Senior Alexis Melby came up with 17 assists in a shared setter’s role. Junior Meleah Biermaier and senior Madison Brekke had 13 and 11 kills, respectively, for the Prowlers. Junior setter Mattlyn Erickson collected 34 assists.
“Overall, we played a good match,” said Wichael. “The areas we need more work are obvious, and they are things that we can control.”
Scoring
- Kills – (TRF) Meleah Biermaier 13, Madison Brekke 11; (Roseau) Amelia Johnson 17, Kalleen Kvien 6, Nicole Miller 5, Kiley Borowicz 5.
- Assists – (TRF) Mattlyn Erickson 34; (Roseau) Alexis Melby 17, Morgan Melby 11.
- Service aces – (TRF) Madison Brekke 3, Abbie Olson 2, Alexee Nelson 2; (Roseau) Amelia Johnson 7, Kalleen Kvien 2, Kiley Borowicz 2, Morgan Melby 2.
- Blocks – (TRF) Madison Brekke 3, Mattlyn Erickson 3; (Roseau) Amelia Johnson 1, Kalleen Kvien 1.
- Digs – (TRF) Meleah Biermaier 18, Abbie Olson 13; (Roseau) not available.