by Scott DCamp
Sports Editor
The Northland volleyball team won a pair matches in straight sets during a weekend homestand Sept. 22-23. The victories improved the Pioneers record to 6-1 in the MCAC and 8-4 overall.
“The team played to their top performance in some sets,” said Northland Head Coach Abdul Chamma. “They were having fun and did not let the ball drop.”
The Pioneers opened the weekend set with a 3-0 win over Rainy River Community College on Friday night. Hannah Dietsch and Brenna Dallager combined for 35 assists and hitters Shantel Verbout and Jessica Vedbraaten combined for 22 kills in the Pioneers 25-16, 25-13, 25-17 win.
Vedbraaten and Madison Bakken each added a pair of service aces and Verbout and Madison Magner led the way defensively with 10 digs each.
The Pioneers were back on the court for a Saturday matinee against Hibbing and came away with a similar straigth set result, winning 25-16, 25-16, 25-21 over Hibbing.
The Northland victory included a 19-kill effort by Verbout, with setter Hannah Dietsch adding three service aces while leading the offensive attack with 21 assists. Magner had a strong defensive performance, with 16 of the team’s 41 digs.
Northland 3, Rainy River 0
n Scores – NCTC wins 25-16, 25-13, 25-17.
n Assists – Hannah Dietsch 18, Brenna Dallager 17.
n Kills – Shantel Verbout 12, Jessica Vedbraaten 10, Madison Magner 6.
n Service aces – Madison Bakken 2, Jessica Vedbraaten 2.
n Blocks – (solo-assist) Shantel Verbout 2-3, Jessica Vedbraaten 1-2.
n Digs – Madison Magner 10, Shantel Verbout 10.
Northland 3, Hibbing 0
n Scores – NCTC wins 25-16, 25-16, 25-21.
n Assists – Hannah Dietsch 21, Brenna Dallager 16.
n Kills – Shantel Verbout 19, Jessica Vedbraaten 9, Brenna Dallager 5.
n Service aces – Hannah Dietsch 3, Shantel Verbout 2.
n Blocks – (solo-assist) Shantel Verbout 3-2, Jessica Vedbraaten 3-1, Brenna Dallager 1-1.
n Digs – Madison Magner 16, Jessica Vedbraaten 6.