Volleyball Tigers: 1-2-1 in tourney

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, September 16, 2003

JACKSON &045; The Albert Lea volleyball team knew the competition would be tough in the Jackson County Central Invitational, but the Tigers faced a challenge from within before the matches began.

Katie Brackey, a starting setter, was unable to play because of illness.

&uot;Since it happened so suddenly, we didn’t have a lot of time to prepare new rotations,&uot; said coach Gina Eppen. &uot;But the girls were flexible and adjusted well. I think they did a fine job.&uot;

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In four matches, the Tigers won once, lost twice, and tied once.

&uot;We had a lot of really close games,&uot; said Eppen. &uot;The girls performed well when the pressure was on.&uot;

The Tigers opened with a loss to the host team, 25-6 and 25-23.

&uot;This was probably the best team we’ve played yet,&uot; said Eppen. &uot;After the first game we adjusted to their hitters and really went to work. I was impressed how well the girls pulled it all together.&uot;

Next was a split with Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin, a 25-23 win and a 25-13 loss, followed by a victory over Martin County West, 26-24, 23-25, 17-15.

&uot;We really competed here,&uot; said Eppen. &uot;Our team had to get creative in this match. Without Katie, we switched to a 5-1 offense which allowed Jenna (Brackey) to set all the way around. She really took on the responsibility well. Amber Edwards was on the serving line in almost all of our close-game situations and she served extremely well under pressure all day.&uot;

In their final match, the Tigers fell to Sleepy Eye-St. Mary’s 25-18, 25-11.

The Tigers’ statistical leaders for the day: Edwards eight blocks, 10 kills, 14 digs; one ace; Laura Jackson one block, four kills, two assists; Jenna Brackey two kills, 19 assists, 23 digs, two aces; Emily Bartusek four blocks, 10 kills, one assist, 23 digs; two aces; Heather Stegenga six blocks, nine kills, three assists, five digs, three aces; Danielle Rankin 18 kills, two assists, 11 digs, three aces; Brittany Buckmaster one kill, seven assists, eight digs, one ace.

&uot;All in all, I think the girls had a good day,&uot; said Eppen. &uot;We proved that we can stand up against strong teams like Jackson County Central and we worked well under pressure against Martin County West. I was impressed with our team’s resilience.&uot;

The Tigers return to action Thursday at Winona.