Vikings win in 5-set thriller

Published 10:20 pm Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Northwood-Kensett volleyball team takes down Nashua-Plainfield

 

NORTHWOOD — The Northwood-Kensett volleyball team hosted Nashua-Plainfield Tuesday night in hopes of getting back on the winning path after dropping a game Thursday.

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Despite losing the first set by 10 points, the Vikings battled back to defeat the Huskies in a five-set thriller.

The first set was close early on until around the 10-point mark, when the Huskies started to pull away. The Vikings made a few unforced errors that were capitalized on by the Huskies, as they pulled away to an easy first set win, 25-15.

It seemed like it would be a slow night for Northwood-Kensett, as the team fell into an early deficit in the second set. However, after battling back and moving to within striking distance, the Vikings made a move and took the lead for themselves late in the set. With the crowd behind them, the Vikings used a 5-1 run to win the set 25-21 and even the match at 1-1.

Northwood-Kensett junior Natalie Cordle goes up for one of her 13 kills Tuesday night against Nashua-Plainfield. – Tyler Julson/Albert Lea Tribune

The third set was all Northwood-Kensett. Nashua-Plainfield took a timeout with the score at 12-6, but it wouldn’t be enough to stop the wave of momentum from Northwood-Kensett. Senior Laura Hopperstad ended the set by going on a 5-0 run herself with none of her serves being successfully returned.

The Vikings took the third set 25-10 and took a 2-1 set advantage.

The fourth set went more in favor of the Huskies, as they climbed out to an early advantage yet again. The Vikings did rally to come within a couple points of the lead late, but it wouldn’t be enough to end the match, losing 25-19.

In the fifth and final set, the Vikings fell behind early once again, but this time it wouldn’t stick. After falling behind 3-1, the Vikings used a momentous rally to take a 9-5 lead when the Huskies took a timeout. Again, the timeout failed to stop the Vikings in any way, as they cruised to a 15-10 victory.

The Vikings climb to 2-1 on the season and will play again Thursday when they travel to West Fork to take on the Warhawks.

Northwood-Kensett junior Clara Davidson returns a serve in the second set against Nashua-Plainfield Tuesday night. The Vikings would beat the Huskies in a match that went all five sets. – Tyler Julson/Albert Lea Tribune

About Tyler Julson

Tyler Julson covers sports for the Albert Lea Tribune.

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