Coon Rapids saw its 2010 season come to an end in the first round of the Section 6AAA playoffs with a 27-25, 14-25, 25-17, 21-25, 15-7 loss at Spring Lake Park.
After a tight battle throughout the match, the Cardinals fell victim to their own errors in the fifth set. Eight hitting errors, two service errors and two receptions errors accounted for 12 of the Panthers' 15 points. In finishing the match on a 9-2 run, Spring Lake Park recorded just one point via a kill.
The Panthers dominated early in the match and looked like they may make quick work out of the Cardinals, scoring the first five points of the night and eventually grabbing a six-point lead at 10-4.
Coon Rapids finally got untracked and finally created the first of five ties in the set at 18-18 and would twice serve for the opening set before a Brady Melberg tied the match at 25-25 with a kill and then served the Panthers' final two points.
The second set saw the Cardinals take command early. After ties at 2-2 and 3-3, they scored three consecutive points for a 6-3 lead and used an 11-3 run to help put the set away. Nine different players contributed points in the set for Coon Rapids with Ashley Engen recording three kills, Hannah Fitzer three blocks and Courtney Pasiowitz three aces to lead the way.
The third set, despite being an eight-point victory for the hosts, was the most contested set of the night, featuring 10 ties and five lead changes, but Spring Lake Park snapped a 13-13 tie with five consecutive points and took a 2-1 lead by finishing the set on a 12-4 run.
The Panthers carried that momentum into the fourth set, taking a 9-2 run and appeared poised to finish the match in four sets. Coon Rapids countered with an 11-2 run to take a 13-11 lead and Engen led the charge to the fourth-set win, collecting five kills in eight attacks while adding three aces to account for eight points.
The fifth set saw Coon Rapids hit -.160 with four kills and eight errors and the Panthers were able to escape with the five-set win.
The Cardinals finish the season with a 13-16 record and recorded their highest win total since 2003.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Coon Rapids closes out regular season with four-set win at Park Center
Coon Rapids started and finished strong but had a roller coaster ride in the middle before settling for a 25-18, 23-25, 25-16, 25-23 win at Park Center.
The opening set saw the Cardinals hit a solid .207 with 12 kills along with six service aces, Paige Jones registered 11 assists and a .440 setting percentage and the visitors led from start to finish en route to the seven-point win.
The second set saw errors in the service game, four receiving errors and four service errors, prove to be the difference in a two-point loss. The teams were tied on nine occassions and the lead changed hands three times before the Pirates got the final two points to close out the set on attack errors by Coon Rapids.
A six-point run, which snapped a 3-3 tie, seemed to put Park Center in front by a comfortable margin but the Cardinals countered with a 9-2 run to take a 12-11 lead. The Pirates responded with a four-point run and would not trail the remainder of the set.
After winning the second set, the hosts took a 5-3 lead in the third set before an 8-1 run by the Cardinals, followed shortly by a 5-0 run, gave the visitors an 18-10 lead and Ashley Engen would tally four kills in their final five points to give Coon Rapids a 2-1 lead.
Engen didn't slow down in the final set, adding seven kills in 13 attempts, and the Cardinals were perfect on 25 serves, putting pressure on the Pirates' passing game as Coon Rapids won its 13th games of the season, the most by a Cardinal team since a 24-win season in 2004.
Engen's 15-kill performance led an offense which featured five players with six or more kills. Olivia Jung and Megan Hayes each had seven kills and Courtney Pasiowitz and Lindsey Bratland while Jones tallied 38 assists.
Defensively, Emily Tronson had 17 kills and Aneisha DeNio added 10 while Hannah Fitzer had a team-high three blocks.
The Cardinals are idle for eight days before opening Section 5AAA playoff action with a first-round match at Spring Lake Park. The teams are slated to meet Wed., Oct. 27, at 7 p.m.
The opening set saw the Cardinals hit a solid .207 with 12 kills along with six service aces, Paige Jones registered 11 assists and a .440 setting percentage and the visitors led from start to finish en route to the seven-point win.
The second set saw errors in the service game, four receiving errors and four service errors, prove to be the difference in a two-point loss. The teams were tied on nine occassions and the lead changed hands three times before the Pirates got the final two points to close out the set on attack errors by Coon Rapids.
A six-point run, which snapped a 3-3 tie, seemed to put Park Center in front by a comfortable margin but the Cardinals countered with a 9-2 run to take a 12-11 lead. The Pirates responded with a four-point run and would not trail the remainder of the set.
After winning the second set, the hosts took a 5-3 lead in the third set before an 8-1 run by the Cardinals, followed shortly by a 5-0 run, gave the visitors an 18-10 lead and Ashley Engen would tally four kills in their final five points to give Coon Rapids a 2-1 lead.
Engen didn't slow down in the final set, adding seven kills in 13 attempts, and the Cardinals were perfect on 25 serves, putting pressure on the Pirates' passing game as Coon Rapids won its 13th games of the season, the most by a Cardinal team since a 24-win season in 2004.
Engen's 15-kill performance led an offense which featured five players with six or more kills. Olivia Jung and Megan Hayes each had seven kills and Courtney Pasiowitz and Lindsey Bratland while Jones tallied 38 assists.
Defensively, Emily Tronson had 17 kills and Aneisha DeNio added 10 while Hannah Fitzer had a team-high three blocks.
The Cardinals are idle for eight days before opening Section 5AAA playoff action with a first-round match at Spring Lake Park. The teams are slated to meet Wed., Oct. 27, at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Cardinal attack sets stage for rout of Saints
Coon Rapids recorded a season-high attack percentage of .348 and cruised to a 25-10, 25-22, 25-14 win at Legacy Christian.
Ashley Engen led the barrage with 14 kills and just one error in 26 attack attempts, hitting .500 on the night. Seven of her kills came in the final set.
Megan Hayes, who had nine kills and hit .478 on the night, recorded six kills in seven attack attempts in the opening set.
Cardinal setter and co-captain Paige Jones turned in a stellar all-around performance with 26 assists while recording four kills, without an error, a .333 hitting percentage and nine digs.
Emily Tronson had a match-high 16 digs for Coon Rapids while Engen added 10, to go with her 14 kills which marked her sixth double-double of the season.
The Cardinals also had six blocks in the match, getting solo blocks from Jones, Lindsey Bratland and Courtney Pasiowitz. Bratland tallied four blocks on the night and Pasiowitz three.
Coon Rapids closes out its regular-season campaign with its final Northwest Suburban Conference match of the year as the Cardinals travel to Park Center, Tuesday, for a 7 p.m. match.
Ashley Engen led the barrage with 14 kills and just one error in 26 attack attempts, hitting .500 on the night. Seven of her kills came in the final set.
Megan Hayes, who had nine kills and hit .478 on the night, recorded six kills in seven attack attempts in the opening set.
Cardinal setter and co-captain Paige Jones turned in a stellar all-around performance with 26 assists while recording four kills, without an error, a .333 hitting percentage and nine digs.
Emily Tronson had a match-high 16 digs for Coon Rapids while Engen added 10, to go with her 14 kills which marked her sixth double-double of the season.
The Cardinals also had six blocks in the match, getting solo blocks from Jones, Lindsey Bratland and Courtney Pasiowitz. Bratland tallied four blocks on the night and Pasiowitz three.
Coon Rapids closes out its regular-season campaign with its final Northwest Suburban Conference match of the year as the Cardinals travel to Park Center, Tuesday, for a 7 p.m. match.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Section 5AAA playoff pairings set
The playoff pairings for Section 5AAA have been set after the section coaches met to determine seeds for the playoff with Coon Rapids being seeded ninth in the 11-team section.
The top five seeds received first-round byes while the remaining six seeds will play to determine the eight teams slated for quarterfinal action.
The unanimous choice for the top seed was Centennial. With one Northwest Suburban Conference match, against Osseo, remaining on their scheduled, the Cougars have a 25-2 records, have won 16 consecutive matches and are ranked seventh in the state.
The second seed, also by a unanimous vote, went to Blaine. The Bengals are tied with Centennial in this week's state ranking at seventh and, with a conference match against Anoka slated for Tuesday, they sport a 21-4 record.
Totino-Grace received the third seed. Champions of the North Suburban Conference, the Eagles have one match remaining on their schedule and are 17-8 on the season.
The remaining two byes went to the fourth and fifth seeds, which will face off in a quarterfinal game. Osseo, 10-11 on the season with a match with Centennial and the Moorhead Invitational remaining on the schedule, will host Mounds View, 13-12, which is taking on Park Center this evening in their final match of the season.
Champlin Park, 15-10, was seeded sixth and gets a first-round match with the 11th seed, Irondale, which sports a record of 6-15.
Maple Grove, 13-8, received the seventh seed and will host 10th-seeded Rogers, 15-10.
The Cardinals, 11-15 heading into tonight's match at Legacy Christian, will travel to eighth-seeded Spring Lake Park for a first-round match.
All first-round matches will take place Wed., Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. with quarterfinal matches also being hosted by the higher seed, Fri., Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. Centennial will face the Spring Lake Park/Coon Rapids winner while Blaine gets the Maple Grove/Rogers winner and Totino-Grace will host the Champlin Park/Irondale winner.
The Section 5AAA semifinals are scheduled for Wed., Nov. 3, at Osseo, with matches slated for 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. starts. The championship game will be Sat., Nov. 6, at Blaine, at 7 p.m.
Coon Rapids Cardinals Section 5AAA Team
Front row: Student manager Zach Collins, Paige Jones, Megan Hayes, Olivia Jung, Lindsay Bratland, Aneisha DeNio, Hannah Fitzer.
Middle row: Kaitlyn Motschenbacher, Emily Tronson, Ashley Engen, Courtney Pasiowitz, Angela Koch, Kayle Witzman.
Back row: Head coach Heidi Ulwelling, assistant coach Jessia Timmons, Liz Penshorn, Chloe Jacobsen, Emily Haeska, assistant coach Tim McLean.
The top five seeds received first-round byes while the remaining six seeds will play to determine the eight teams slated for quarterfinal action.
The unanimous choice for the top seed was Centennial. With one Northwest Suburban Conference match, against Osseo, remaining on their scheduled, the Cougars have a 25-2 records, have won 16 consecutive matches and are ranked seventh in the state.
The second seed, also by a unanimous vote, went to Blaine. The Bengals are tied with Centennial in this week's state ranking at seventh and, with a conference match against Anoka slated for Tuesday, they sport a 21-4 record.
Totino-Grace received the third seed. Champions of the North Suburban Conference, the Eagles have one match remaining on their schedule and are 17-8 on the season.
The remaining two byes went to the fourth and fifth seeds, which will face off in a quarterfinal game. Osseo, 10-11 on the season with a match with Centennial and the Moorhead Invitational remaining on the schedule, will host Mounds View, 13-12, which is taking on Park Center this evening in their final match of the season.
Champlin Park, 15-10, was seeded sixth and gets a first-round match with the 11th seed, Irondale, which sports a record of 6-15.
Maple Grove, 13-8, received the seventh seed and will host 10th-seeded Rogers, 15-10.
The Cardinals, 11-15 heading into tonight's match at Legacy Christian, will travel to eighth-seeded Spring Lake Park for a first-round match.
All first-round matches will take place Wed., Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. with quarterfinal matches also being hosted by the higher seed, Fri., Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. Centennial will face the Spring Lake Park/Coon Rapids winner while Blaine gets the Maple Grove/Rogers winner and Totino-Grace will host the Champlin Park/Irondale winner.
The Section 5AAA semifinals are scheduled for Wed., Nov. 3, at Osseo, with matches slated for 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. starts. The championship game will be Sat., Nov. 6, at Blaine, at 7 p.m.
Front row: Student manager Zach Collins, Paige Jones, Megan Hayes, Olivia Jung, Lindsay Bratland, Aneisha DeNio, Hannah Fitzer.
Middle row: Kaitlyn Motschenbacher, Emily Tronson, Ashley Engen, Courtney Pasiowitz, Angela Koch, Kayle Witzman.
Back row: Head coach Heidi Ulwelling, assistant coach Jessia Timmons, Liz Penshorn, Chloe Jacobsen, Emily Haeska, assistant coach Tim McLean.
Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Class AAA Rankings
The final Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Class AAA state rankings have been released for 2010 and a pair of Northwest Suburban Conference teams are among the top 10 as is one other Coon Rapids opponent.
Centennial, which has clinched at least a share of the conference title, has moved from ninth into a tie for seventh after defeating Roseville and Maple Grove to extend its winning streak to 17 matches.
Blaine remained in seventh after going 5-1 last week. The Bengals' lone loss was a 2-0 loss at the Eastview Invitational to sixth-ranked Eden Prairie. They closed out that tournament with a 2-0 win over ninth-ranked Shakopee.
Stillwater, which participated in the Coon Rapids Invitational and handed the Cardinals a 2-0 loss, is third among other teams receiving votes with 10 points.
Team (1st Place Votes) Record Pts
1. Lakeville North (12) 24- 1-0 180
2. Wayzata 20- 2-0 168
3. Bloomington Jefferson 22- 3-0 152
4. Eastview 16- 9-0 144
5. Apple Valley 18- 7-0 99
6. Eden Prairie 16- 9-0 97
7. Centennial 25- 2-0 95
Blaine 21- 4-0 95
9. Shakopee 17- 8-0 78
10. Lakeville South 19- 6-0 75
Others: Waconia (40), East Ridge (36), Stillwater (10), Woodbury (8), Owatonna (7), Chaska (6), Northfield (4), Hill-Murray (3), Chanhassen (2), Rochester Mayo (1).
Centennial, which has clinched at least a share of the conference title, has moved from ninth into a tie for seventh after defeating Roseville and Maple Grove to extend its winning streak to 17 matches.
Blaine remained in seventh after going 5-1 last week. The Bengals' lone loss was a 2-0 loss at the Eastview Invitational to sixth-ranked Eden Prairie. They closed out that tournament with a 2-0 win over ninth-ranked Shakopee.
Stillwater, which participated in the Coon Rapids Invitational and handed the Cardinals a 2-0 loss, is third among other teams receiving votes with 10 points.
Team (1st Place Votes) Record Pts
1. Lakeville North (12) 24- 1-0 180
2. Wayzata 20- 2-0 168
3. Bloomington Jefferson 22- 3-0 152
4. Eastview 16- 9-0 144
5. Apple Valley 18- 7-0 99
6. Eden Prairie 16- 9-0 97
7. Centennial 25- 2-0 95
Blaine 21- 4-0 95
9. Shakopee 17- 8-0 78
10. Lakeville South 19- 6-0 75
Others: Waconia (40), East Ridge (36), Stillwater (10), Woodbury (8), Owatonna (7), Chaska (6), Northfield (4), Hill-Murray (3), Chanhassen (2), Rochester Mayo (1).
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Coon Rapids goes 2-2 at BSM Invitational
Coon Rapids lost its first two games but responded with a pair of wins late in the day to salvage a 2-2 record in the BSM Invitational at Benilde-St. Margaret's.
The opening match of the day pitted the Cardinals against Minnehaha Academy and only one lead changed occurred in the three-set affair. The Redhawks led through the opening set, but not without being pushed. Leading by seven, 18-11, Minnehaha was Coon Rapids close to within two points at 22-20 before escaping with a 25-22 win.
Conversely, the Cardinals were given little challenge in the second set as they opened up with a 5-0 lead but the Redhawks never got closer than three points as Coon Rapids used five service aces and six blocks to cruise to a 25-14 win.
The third set saw the Cardinals lead throughout the first half but an eight-point run by Minnehaha, helped by four attack errors by Coon Rapids, enabled them to overcome an 8-6 deficit en route to the decisive 15-10 win.
In their second match of the day, the Cardinals opened with a 25-14 win over Holy Angels. After three lead changes, Coon Rapids scored 15 of the final 19 points of the set to break a 10-10 tie.
After finishing the first set with momentum, the Cardinals failed to carry that over to the second set as the Stars opened with an 8-2 lead and never trailed as they evened the match with a 25-16 victory.
The third set came down to service as Holy Angels got four consecutive service aces from Katelyn Caron during an 8-0 run, which turned an 8-7 Coon Rapids lead into a 15-8 win for the Stars.
Relegated to the bronze pool in the afternoon. the Cardinals came out and needed just 34 minutes to hand Mounds Park Academy a 25-6, 25-11 defeat. Courtney Pasiowitz had six kills and hit .625 in the match, leading an attack effort which saw the Cardinals hit .270, its second-best total of the season.
The day ended with another three-set match, which saw Coon Rapids claim a 25-20, 20-25, 15-12 win over Holy Family with Pasiowitz leading the way with seven kills and five blocks.
Ashley Engen led the Cardinals with 24 kills in the four matches. Meanwhile, Pasiowitz hit a team-high .386 with 22 kills to go with seven blocks, which tied Lindsay Bratland and Angela Koch for the team lead on the day. Paige Jones had 67 assists.
Emily Tronson led the team in both aces (12) and digs (38), and also received a team-high 64 serves.
The Cardinals head into the final week of the regular season with an 11-15 record, surpassing last season's win total of 10. Coon Rapids closes out the regular season with a pair of road matches this weekend, taking on Legacy Christian, Monday, before facing Park Center in the Northwest Suburban Conference finale.
The opening match of the day pitted the Cardinals against Minnehaha Academy and only one lead changed occurred in the three-set affair. The Redhawks led through the opening set, but not without being pushed. Leading by seven, 18-11, Minnehaha was Coon Rapids close to within two points at 22-20 before escaping with a 25-22 win.
Conversely, the Cardinals were given little challenge in the second set as they opened up with a 5-0 lead but the Redhawks never got closer than three points as Coon Rapids used five service aces and six blocks to cruise to a 25-14 win.
The third set saw the Cardinals lead throughout the first half but an eight-point run by Minnehaha, helped by four attack errors by Coon Rapids, enabled them to overcome an 8-6 deficit en route to the decisive 15-10 win.
In their second match of the day, the Cardinals opened with a 25-14 win over Holy Angels. After three lead changes, Coon Rapids scored 15 of the final 19 points of the set to break a 10-10 tie.
After finishing the first set with momentum, the Cardinals failed to carry that over to the second set as the Stars opened with an 8-2 lead and never trailed as they evened the match with a 25-16 victory.
The third set came down to service as Holy Angels got four consecutive service aces from Katelyn Caron during an 8-0 run, which turned an 8-7 Coon Rapids lead into a 15-8 win for the Stars.
Relegated to the bronze pool in the afternoon. the Cardinals came out and needed just 34 minutes to hand Mounds Park Academy a 25-6, 25-11 defeat. Courtney Pasiowitz had six kills and hit .625 in the match, leading an attack effort which saw the Cardinals hit .270, its second-best total of the season.
The day ended with another three-set match, which saw Coon Rapids claim a 25-20, 20-25, 15-12 win over Holy Family with Pasiowitz leading the way with seven kills and five blocks.
Ashley Engen led the Cardinals with 24 kills in the four matches. Meanwhile, Pasiowitz hit a team-high .386 with 22 kills to go with seven blocks, which tied Lindsay Bratland and Angela Koch for the team lead on the day. Paige Jones had 67 assists.
Emily Tronson led the team in both aces (12) and digs (38), and also received a team-high 64 serves.
The Cardinals head into the final week of the regular season with an 11-15 record, surpassing last season's win total of 10. Coon Rapids closes out the regular season with a pair of road matches this weekend, taking on Legacy Christian, Monday, before facing Park Center in the Northwest Suburban Conference finale.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Engen leads Cardinals to first conference win
Ashley Engen accounted for over one-third of all Coon Rapids points and her all-around play led the Cardinals to a 25-22, 25-23, 25-19 win at Robbinsdale Armstrong, the team's first Northwest Suburban Conference victory of the season.
In the opening set, the Falcons jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Engen recorded a kill to give her team the serve, and she then proceed to serve five aces in the next six points as Coon Rapids quickly took a 7-2 lead.
When the rotation returned Engen to the service line, the lead had been cut to 14-12, but she recorded two more aces as the Cardinals extended the lead to 17-12 and, after Armstrong came back to tie the score at 22-22, she combined on a block with Angela Koch and then served up two more aces, giving her nine for the set, to give Coon Rapids a three-point victory.
Engen again started the Cardinals off with five aces in the second set as the visitors took a 6-0 lead. The Falcons came back to tie the score at 9-9 but could never gain the lead.
The hosts would not go away, however, and were within one point late in the set when Courtney Pasiowitz notched one of her six kills on the night to give Coon Rapids set point at 24-22. Armstrong cut the lead to one once again but Olivia Jung struck a cross-court attack resulting in a kill and the final point to give the Cardinals a 2-0 match lead.
Armstrong scored the first point of the third set but a four-point run gave Coon Rapids the lead once again. The Falcons eventually tied the score at 6-6 with a four-point run of their own but an 8-2 run by the Cardinals gave them a lead they would never relinquish and Engen's 10th kill of the night finally ended the match.
Engen's double-double of 10 kills and 16 aces led Coon Rapids. She also had eight digs, a block assist, two set assists and received 18 serves without an error. Paige Jones, with 27 assists, averaged nine assists per game for the first time this season while Pasiowith had six kills and Angela Koch had five while hitting .444 on the night.
The Cardinals are idle until Saturday when they take part in the BSM Invitational at Benilde-St. Margaret's. Coon Rapids opens pool play at 9 a.m. by taking on Minnehaha Academy. The Cardinals second game is scheduled for 12 p.m. against Holy Angels to conclude pool play. Medal round play is slated to get underway at 2 p.m.
In the opening set, the Falcons jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Engen recorded a kill to give her team the serve, and she then proceed to serve five aces in the next six points as Coon Rapids quickly took a 7-2 lead.
When the rotation returned Engen to the service line, the lead had been cut to 14-12, but she recorded two more aces as the Cardinals extended the lead to 17-12 and, after Armstrong came back to tie the score at 22-22, she combined on a block with Angela Koch and then served up two more aces, giving her nine for the set, to give Coon Rapids a three-point victory.
Engen again started the Cardinals off with five aces in the second set as the visitors took a 6-0 lead. The Falcons came back to tie the score at 9-9 but could never gain the lead.
The hosts would not go away, however, and were within one point late in the set when Courtney Pasiowitz notched one of her six kills on the night to give Coon Rapids set point at 24-22. Armstrong cut the lead to one once again but Olivia Jung struck a cross-court attack resulting in a kill and the final point to give the Cardinals a 2-0 match lead.
Armstrong scored the first point of the third set but a four-point run gave Coon Rapids the lead once again. The Falcons eventually tied the score at 6-6 with a four-point run of their own but an 8-2 run by the Cardinals gave them a lead they would never relinquish and Engen's 10th kill of the night finally ended the match.
Engen's double-double of 10 kills and 16 aces led Coon Rapids. She also had eight digs, a block assist, two set assists and received 18 serves without an error. Paige Jones, with 27 assists, averaged nine assists per game for the first time this season while Pasiowith had six kills and Angela Koch had five while hitting .444 on the night.
The Cardinals are idle until Saturday when they take part in the BSM Invitational at Benilde-St. Margaret's. Coon Rapids opens pool play at 9 a.m. by taking on Minnehaha Academy. The Cardinals second game is scheduled for 12 p.m. against Holy Angels to conclude pool play. Medal round play is slated to get underway at 2 p.m.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Class AAA Rankings
The Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association has released the state rankings as of Oct. 4, 2010 and two Northwest Suburban Conference teams are in the top 10 for the first time this season.
Centennial moved into the top 10 for the first time this season, receiving 77 points to rank ninth, after defeating previously fourth-ranked Blaine, 3-1, and extending its winning streak to 14 matches.
Blaine fell to seventh, receiving 82 points, after two conference matches last week, falling to Centennial before sweeping Maple Grove.
Team (1st Place Votes) Record Pts
1. Lakeville North (10) 22- 1-0 164
2. Wayzata 18- 2-0 155
3. Bloomington Jefferson 19- 1-0 130
4. Eastview 12- 8-0 119
5. Apple Valley 14- 5-0 117
6. Lakeville South 15- 4-0 100
7. Blaine 16- 3-0 82
8. Shakopee 14- 5-0 78
9. Centennial 24- 2-0 77
10. Eden Prairie 11- 8-0 70
Others: Waconia (60), Stillwater (18), Cretin-Durham Hall (6), Woodbury (6), Hopkins (5), Minneapolis Southwest (4), Owatonna (2), Hill-Murray (1).
Centennial moved into the top 10 for the first time this season, receiving 77 points to rank ninth, after defeating previously fourth-ranked Blaine, 3-1, and extending its winning streak to 14 matches.
Blaine fell to seventh, receiving 82 points, after two conference matches last week, falling to Centennial before sweeping Maple Grove.
Team (1st Place Votes) Record Pts
1. Lakeville North (10) 22- 1-0 164
2. Wayzata 18- 2-0 155
3. Bloomington Jefferson 19- 1-0 130
4. Eastview 12- 8-0 119
5. Apple Valley 14- 5-0 117
6. Lakeville South 15- 4-0 100
7. Blaine 16- 3-0 82
8. Shakopee 14- 5-0 78
9. Centennial 24- 2-0 77
10. Eden Prairie 11- 8-0 70
Others: Waconia (60), Stillwater (18), Cretin-Durham Hall (6), Woodbury (6), Hopkins (5), Minneapolis Southwest (4), Owatonna (2), Hill-Murray (1).
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Tornado hitters prove too much for Cardinals
Coon Rapids matched Anoka in many areas and all three sets were tightly contested but, in the end the 1-2 punch of Lesi Robinson and Mikayla Gallagher proved too much for the Cardinals to overcome as the Tornadoes claimed a 25-19, 25-19, 25-17 win.
The teams battled through the first half of the opening set to a 12-12 tie before an 8-1 run by Anoka put the visitors ahead, 20-13, and sent the Tornadoes on their way to a six-point victory.
The second set featured 12 tie scores and seven lead changes as the teams. Robinson recorded kills to account for four of Anoka's final 10 points of the set as the Tornadoes overcame a 17-16 deficit to finish out the second-set victory.
The third set played out much the same as the first two sets in the early going but Anoka would not give up the lead, finally breaking a 10-10 tie with an 8-1 run. Ashley Engen had seven of her match-high 15 digs in the set and the Cardinals were perfect in receiving 25 serve. The hitting game proved to be the difference as Anoka hit .303 while Coon Rapids had 10 kills and 10 errors.
"We didn't play bad," Cardinal head coach Heidi Ulwelling said. "We did a lot of things well tonight and just weren't able to finish at the end."
Defensively, Coon Rapids had one of its best nights of the season, averaging better than 14 digs per set while committing just four errors in 71 serve receptions to go with seven total blocks. Lindsey Bratland had a team season-high six blocks with a solo and five assists. Paige Jones had block assists as well. Emily Tronson chipped in with 12 digs.
Seven Cardinal seniors played their final match at the Carlson Fieldhouse. Co-captains Engen and Jones, were joined by fellow co-captain Megan Hayes as well as Tronson, Bratland, Angela Koch and Aneisha DeNio.
The teams battled through the first half of the opening set to a 12-12 tie before an 8-1 run by Anoka put the visitors ahead, 20-13, and sent the Tornadoes on their way to a six-point victory.
The second set featured 12 tie scores and seven lead changes as the teams. Robinson recorded kills to account for four of Anoka's final 10 points of the set as the Tornadoes overcame a 17-16 deficit to finish out the second-set victory.
The third set played out much the same as the first two sets in the early going but Anoka would not give up the lead, finally breaking a 10-10 tie with an 8-1 run. Ashley Engen had seven of her match-high 15 digs in the set and the Cardinals were perfect in receiving 25 serve. The hitting game proved to be the difference as Anoka hit .303 while Coon Rapids had 10 kills and 10 errors.
"We didn't play bad," Cardinal head coach Heidi Ulwelling said. "We did a lot of things well tonight and just weren't able to finish at the end."
Defensively, Coon Rapids had one of its best nights of the season, averaging better than 14 digs per set while committing just four errors in 71 serve receptions to go with seven total blocks. Lindsey Bratland had a team season-high six blocks with a solo and five assists. Paige Jones had block assists as well. Emily Tronson chipped in with 12 digs.
Seven Cardinal seniors played their final match at the Carlson Fieldhouse. Co-captains Engen and Jones, were joined by fellow co-captain Megan Hayes as well as Tronson, Bratland, Angela Koch and Aneisha DeNio.
Coon Rapids returns to action Tuesday when the Cardinals will be at Robbinsdale Armstrong for a 7 p.m. match.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Cardinals suffer tought five-set loss to Rebels
In a match which featured 33 tie scores and 18 lead changes, including six lead changes in the final set, Champlin Park overcame a late deficit to score a 24-26, 25-14, 27-25, 16-25, 17-15 win over Coon Rapids.
Early on, the Rebels made the match look like it would be a runaway as they scored the first five points of the night. The Cardinals came back, behind the service of Chloe Jacobson, to tie the score at 6-6 but Champlin Park responded with a 7-1 and would eventually take a 20-11 lead in the opening set.
A Courtney Pasiowitz kill returned serve to the Cardinals at that point and, with Jacobson at the service line, they a 10-0 run to take a 21-20 lead. Champlin Park again responded, getting to set point by scoring four consecutive points, but a service error gave the ball back to Coon Rapids.
Paige Jones set Olivia Jung for two kills, Jung returned the favor once, and Jones and and Lindsey Bratland combined for a block as the Cardinals scored the last five points of the set to pull out the win and set the tone for the rest of the night.
The second set was the only set of the night that didn't hold to the script of a tight battle. The teams traded the lead twice early but a 10-1 run by the Rebels sent them on their way to the 11-point victory to tie the match at 1-1.
Much of the third set appeared to be going the way of the home team. After falling behind early, they grabbed a 4-3 lead and, after snapping a 10-10 tie, they pulled out to a 23-17 lead.
Once again, the Rebels came back, pulling to within one point with a 5-0 run, but a service error gave Coon Rapids a chance to win the set. Back-to-back kills by Lexi Wood tied the match at 24-24. The teams were tied again, at 25-25, before one of Taylor Goar's 26 kills on the night final put the set away for the Rebels.
The fourth set proved to be one of the the Cardinals' best of the season as they hit a stunning .522. Champlin Park also had its best hitting performance of the night, at .286, but, despite 10 tie scores and five lead changes, couldn't keep pace with the home squad.
"That was as well as we've played all year," Coon Rapids head coach Heidi Ulwelling said. "Both our hitting and our defense came together in that set."
Eight of the Cardinals nine plays who saw action in the set recorded kills, they committed just one reception error and the back row grouping of Aneisha DeNio, Emily Tronson and Kayle Witzman combined for 10 digs.
The fifth set proved to be the most hotly contested set of the night. The set saw more lead changes (6), and as many ties (10) as any other set of the night despite being played to just 17 points.
The Cardinals would serve for the match at 14-13 but Wood stepped up for the visitors, notching her 15th kill of the night, to tie the score. Goar's 26th kill of the night gave the Rebels their first match point of the night but Jung collected her 14th kill to tie the score one more time.
A service error gave Champlin Park a second chance to serve for the match and Christa Koep converted the opportunity with an ace.
Despite being disappointed with the loss, Ulwelling found plenty of positive things from her team.
"We battled back when we were down," she said. "I had nothing but positives for the team afterwards. We did so many things well tonight, against a good team, and that was my message."
Ulwelling stated that she was happy with the play of senior setter and co-captain Paige Jones. "She really distributed the ball well tonight," she said.
All four of the Cardinals' front-row maintstays, Bratland, Jung, Pasiowitz and Ashley Engen, had at least 22 attack attempts. Engen finished with 16 kills while Jung had 14 and Pasiowitz 11 while Jones finished with 40 assists.
Defensively, Coon Rapids matched its season high with nine blocks, getting four each from Angela Koch, who played just two sets, and Bratland. Tronson, who sat out the third set before moving into the libero role for the final two sets, finished with a team-high 16 digs while Engen had 15.
Up next for the Cardinals is Anoka, Thursday at the Roger E. Carlson Fieldhouse. The opening serve is slated for 7 p.m. and, as the team's final home match of the season, is slated to be Senior Night.
Early on, the Rebels made the match look like it would be a runaway as they scored the first five points of the night. The Cardinals came back, behind the service of Chloe Jacobson, to tie the score at 6-6 but Champlin Park responded with a 7-1 and would eventually take a 20-11 lead in the opening set.
A Courtney Pasiowitz kill returned serve to the Cardinals at that point and, with Jacobson at the service line, they a 10-0 run to take a 21-20 lead. Champlin Park again responded, getting to set point by scoring four consecutive points, but a service error gave the ball back to Coon Rapids.
Paige Jones set Olivia Jung for two kills, Jung returned the favor once, and Jones and and Lindsey Bratland combined for a block as the Cardinals scored the last five points of the set to pull out the win and set the tone for the rest of the night.
The second set was the only set of the night that didn't hold to the script of a tight battle. The teams traded the lead twice early but a 10-1 run by the Rebels sent them on their way to the 11-point victory to tie the match at 1-1.
Much of the third set appeared to be going the way of the home team. After falling behind early, they grabbed a 4-3 lead and, after snapping a 10-10 tie, they pulled out to a 23-17 lead.
Once again, the Rebels came back, pulling to within one point with a 5-0 run, but a service error gave Coon Rapids a chance to win the set. Back-to-back kills by Lexi Wood tied the match at 24-24. The teams were tied again, at 25-25, before one of Taylor Goar's 26 kills on the night final put the set away for the Rebels.
The fourth set proved to be one of the the Cardinals' best of the season as they hit a stunning .522. Champlin Park also had its best hitting performance of the night, at .286, but, despite 10 tie scores and five lead changes, couldn't keep pace with the home squad.
"That was as well as we've played all year," Coon Rapids head coach Heidi Ulwelling said. "Both our hitting and our defense came together in that set."
Eight of the Cardinals nine plays who saw action in the set recorded kills, they committed just one reception error and the back row grouping of Aneisha DeNio, Emily Tronson and Kayle Witzman combined for 10 digs.
The fifth set proved to be the most hotly contested set of the night. The set saw more lead changes (6), and as many ties (10) as any other set of the night despite being played to just 17 points.
The Cardinals would serve for the match at 14-13 but Wood stepped up for the visitors, notching her 15th kill of the night, to tie the score. Goar's 26th kill of the night gave the Rebels their first match point of the night but Jung collected her 14th kill to tie the score one more time.
A service error gave Champlin Park a second chance to serve for the match and Christa Koep converted the opportunity with an ace.
Despite being disappointed with the loss, Ulwelling found plenty of positive things from her team.
"We battled back when we were down," she said. "I had nothing but positives for the team afterwards. We did so many things well tonight, against a good team, and that was my message."
Ulwelling stated that she was happy with the play of senior setter and co-captain Paige Jones. "She really distributed the ball well tonight," she said.
All four of the Cardinals' front-row maintstays, Bratland, Jung, Pasiowitz and Ashley Engen, had at least 22 attack attempts. Engen finished with 16 kills while Jung had 14 and Pasiowitz 11 while Jones finished with 40 assists.
Defensively, Coon Rapids matched its season high with nine blocks, getting four each from Angela Koch, who played just two sets, and Bratland. Tronson, who sat out the third set before moving into the libero role for the final two sets, finished with a team-high 16 digs while Engen had 15.
Up next for the Cardinals is Anoka, Thursday at the Roger E. Carlson Fieldhouse. The opening serve is slated for 7 p.m. and, as the team's final home match of the season, is slated to be Senior Night.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Class AAA Rankings
The Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association has released the state rankings as of Oct. 4, 2010 and three Northwest Suburban Conference teams are in this week's poll.
Blaine remained fourth, after moving up from ninth last week, following conference wins over Robbinsdale Armstrong and Andover and a 4-0 record, and the championship, in the Bengals' invitational. In all, they won 14 of 15 sets on the week.
After winning a pair of conference games and the Coon Rapids Invitational, Centennial, for the third week in a row, sits on the edge of poll, earning 49 points. The Cougars take on Blaine, Oct. 5, with the winner having the inside track to the 2010 NWSC title.
Andover received six points in the poll for the second week in a row.
Team (1st Place Votes) Record Pts
1. Lakeville North (9) 16- 1-0 135
2. Wayzata 16- 2-0 126
3. Bloomington Jefferson 17- 1-0 117
4. Blaine 15- 2-0 102
5. Eastview 10- 8-0 84
6. Apple Valley 13- 4-0 79
7. Lakeville South 14- 3-0 75
8. Waconia 14- 5-0 66
9. Eden Prairie 11- 6-0 60
10. Shakopee 13- 5-0 58
Others: Centennial (49), Hill-Murray (14), Cretin-Durham Hall (13), Stillwater (13), Andover (6).
Blaine remained fourth, after moving up from ninth last week, following conference wins over Robbinsdale Armstrong and Andover and a 4-0 record, and the championship, in the Bengals' invitational. In all, they won 14 of 15 sets on the week.
After winning a pair of conference games and the Coon Rapids Invitational, Centennial, for the third week in a row, sits on the edge of poll, earning 49 points. The Cougars take on Blaine, Oct. 5, with the winner having the inside track to the 2010 NWSC title.
Andover received six points in the poll for the second week in a row.
Team (1st Place Votes) Record Pts
1. Lakeville North (9) 16- 1-0 135
2. Wayzata 16- 2-0 126
3. Bloomington Jefferson 17- 1-0 117
4. Blaine 15- 2-0 102
5. Eastview 10- 8-0 84
6. Apple Valley 13- 4-0 79
7. Lakeville South 14- 3-0 75
8. Waconia 14- 5-0 66
9. Eden Prairie 11- 6-0 60
10. Shakopee 13- 5-0 58
Others: Centennial (49), Hill-Murray (14), Cretin-Durham Hall (13), Stillwater (13), Andover (6).
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Cardinals take third in Invitational with four wins
Coon Rapids won four of six matches and finished third of seven teams while hosting the Coon Rapids Invitational.
The day opened well for the Cardinals as they used runs of seven, four and five points to take a 21-7 lead over Hastings in the day's opening set en route to a 25-11, 25-17 win.
Paige Jones had her best setting game of the season with 20 of 36 set attempts, a .556 efficiency, resulting in kills. Courtney Pasiowitz had five kills, without an error, in seven attacks to go with four service aces while Lindsey Bratland put away four of her five attacks and Ashley Engen had a team-high six kills.
The second match of the day featured a matchup with Northwest Suburban Conference-leading Centennial and the Cougars wasted little time, scoring the first five points of the match before cruising to a 25-10, 25-20 win.
The Cardinals began to find their game in second set of the match, taking the lead on two separate occassions, but a 7-1 run by Centennial put the Cougars ahead, 12-8, and they would not relinquish the lead.
Pasiowitz, who had three aces, and Megan Hayes led the way for Coon Rapids with four kills apiece.
The third match of the day came against another NWSC foe in Robbinsdale Armstrong. Despite being outhit by the Falcons, the Cardinals showed that the time spent at Friday's practice on service and serve reception was beneficial. Coon Rapids had 14 aces to just four for Armstrong and an .892 serve reception compared to just .674 for the Falcons.
Lindsay Bratland had a season-high six kills in the match while Engen, Jones and Chloe Jacobson each had three aces. The Cardinals also had five blocks in the match with Hannah Fitzer assisting on four of them.
Coon Rapids ran its record to 3-1 on the day with a 25-17, 25-16 over Providence, behind a balanced hitting attack which saw five players record at least three kills. Pasiowitz, who had three kills, added five services aces to account for a team-high eights points while Jones, who had 11 assists, led the way with a season-best six kills.
After dropping a 25-12 decision in the opening set against Stillwater, a set in which they never led, the Cardinals and Ponies battled neck and neck through much of the of the second set. However, Stillwater snapped a 17-17 tie by running off seven consecutive points before finishing off a 25-18 win.
Olivia Jung's four kills and .273 hitting percentage led Coon Rapids.
The Cardinals finished out the day with a 25-14, 25-23 win over Rogers to capture third place. Coon Rapids scored the first seven points of the first set and were not caught en route to the 11-point win, but the second set saw eight tied scores and six lead changes A block by Bratland and Engen finally snapped a 19-19 tied in the final set and the Cardinals hung onto the lead until the end.
The four wins gave Coon Rapids a 5-4 record on the week and and raises the team's mark to 8-11 on the season. The Cardinals' final two home matches of the season take place this week as they host Champlin Park, Tuesday, and Anoka, Thursday, in a pair of 7 p.m. games at the Coon Rapids Fieldhouse.
The day opened well for the Cardinals as they used runs of seven, four and five points to take a 21-7 lead over Hastings in the day's opening set en route to a 25-11, 25-17 win.
Paige Jones had her best setting game of the season with 20 of 36 set attempts, a .556 efficiency, resulting in kills. Courtney Pasiowitz had five kills, without an error, in seven attacks to go with four service aces while Lindsey Bratland put away four of her five attacks and Ashley Engen had a team-high six kills.
The second match of the day featured a matchup with Northwest Suburban Conference-leading Centennial and the Cougars wasted little time, scoring the first five points of the match before cruising to a 25-10, 25-20 win.
The Cardinals began to find their game in second set of the match, taking the lead on two separate occassions, but a 7-1 run by Centennial put the Cougars ahead, 12-8, and they would not relinquish the lead.
Pasiowitz, who had three aces, and Megan Hayes led the way for Coon Rapids with four kills apiece.
The third match of the day came against another NWSC foe in Robbinsdale Armstrong. Despite being outhit by the Falcons, the Cardinals showed that the time spent at Friday's practice on service and serve reception was beneficial. Coon Rapids had 14 aces to just four for Armstrong and an .892 serve reception compared to just .674 for the Falcons.
Lindsay Bratland had a season-high six kills in the match while Engen, Jones and Chloe Jacobson each had three aces. The Cardinals also had five blocks in the match with Hannah Fitzer assisting on four of them.
Coon Rapids ran its record to 3-1 on the day with a 25-17, 25-16 over Providence, behind a balanced hitting attack which saw five players record at least three kills. Pasiowitz, who had three kills, added five services aces to account for a team-high eights points while Jones, who had 11 assists, led the way with a season-best six kills.
After dropping a 25-12 decision in the opening set against Stillwater, a set in which they never led, the Cardinals and Ponies battled neck and neck through much of the of the second set. However, Stillwater snapped a 17-17 tie by running off seven consecutive points before finishing off a 25-18 win.
Olivia Jung's four kills and .273 hitting percentage led Coon Rapids.
The Cardinals finished out the day with a 25-14, 25-23 win over Rogers to capture third place. Coon Rapids scored the first seven points of the first set and were not caught en route to the 11-point win, but the second set saw eight tied scores and six lead changes A block by Bratland and Engen finally snapped a 19-19 tied in the final set and the Cardinals hung onto the lead until the end.
The four wins gave Coon Rapids a 5-4 record on the week and and raises the team's mark to 8-11 on the season. The Cardinals' final two home matches of the season take place this week as they host Champlin Park, Tuesday, and Anoka, Thursday, in a pair of 7 p.m. games at the Coon Rapids Fieldhouse.
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