Viking volleyball stomps out Mio in conference win

The Posen volleyball team proved Monday night just how much of a force it could be on the court with its hard fought victory over North Star League competitor Mio, 21-25, 28-26, 25-23, and 25-20. IN THIS case, the scores tell it all. Both the Posen and Mio teams played with all-out intensity, scrambling for every loose ball, and fighting for every earned point. Coach John Dietlin said Monday?s victory could be summed up in two words: communication and determination.

?(The girls) played together finding strength and encouragement in one another,? said Dietlin. ?Any victory during league competition is gratifying?but more so, I was pleased with our character (during the game).? The Vikings warmed up in game one, taking their only loss of the night. Senior Jenny Ciarkowski set the tempo of the evening with her first play ? a quick and short tip to the Mio frontline, keeping the ball on Posen?s side. Mio tied up the game at nine, but three consecutive kills put down by the Vikings threw the Thunderbolts off balance. Ciarkowski put up a wall against a hard hit Mio attack, sending the ball back into Thunderbolt territory. Posen was ready, but the game got away.

In game two, senior Mary Calhoun showed her expertise does not stop on the basketball court. Calhoun started off the game with a strong kill down the Mio middle, only one of her many aggressive attacks from the Viking frontline. Posen lost some spark early in the game, but quickly regained composure and came back swinging. Again, both teams proved their abilities and left nothing up to chance. A big attack from Mio was followed by a quick dig from Posen, and retaliated with a kill of its own. Calhoun threatened the opponents with a full-out attack from the outside corner, only to pull back and burn the Thunderbolts with a short tip over the net, leaving Mio sprawled on the floor, and the Vikings with a 14-7 lead. A big dig by Ciarkowski drove hard into the net and was dug out by senior setter Megan Pieczynski and sent over the net to an unsuspecting Mio crew. Calhoun followed that play with a kill and sent Posen into its first victory, point by point.

POSEN CAME out hitting in game three, jumping out to a quick 14-4 lead. Calhoun helped with seven ace serves that left the Mio defense frustrated. The Thunderbolts soon had an opportunity to attack when several Posen errors allowed them to take an 18-17 lead. The Vikings quickly switched back into winning mode, and a deep shoot by junior Elyse Perrault left the Thunderbolts empty handed, and tied the game at 21. Perrault joined Calhoun with some strong digging skills from the back row, and a Mio error put Posen into the winning position.

Senior Michelle Mulka came out swinging in game four, quickly helping the Vikings to an 8-3 lead. Both teams played consistently throughout the night, setting up the ball, knocking it down, digging it out, and repeating the steps. The hard fought volleys on both sides of the net made for long games and fatigued players. Calhoun had a hard time letting fatigue get in the way of a Posen victory as she came up with a big kill in game four, sending the ball down the line and giving the Vikings the advantage. Several errors from an equally drained Mio team led to the eventual Posen win, with the parting shot from Mulka, who sent a clean kill down the Mio middle for the game.

Coach Dietlin said his team has been work

ing on becoming more than one dimensional from the frontline, which might have helped with the win against Mio. The Vikings mixed it up well from the net, keeping the Mio Thunderbolts on their toes. ?Although we do some things well, we still have to change things up (at the net), which keeps our opposition guessing,? said Dietlin. ?We are working on becoming proactive instead of reactive.? For the Vikings, Calhoun had 8 ace serves, 11 kills, and 9 digs. Ciarkowski had 5 aces, 5 kills, 2 blocks, and 7 digs. Perrault racked up 5 aces, 2 kills, and 7 digs, while Mulka had 3 kills and 5 digs. Pieczynski had 19 assists.

IN JV action, the Vikings took home a solid victory, 25-12 and 25-15. Freshman Janice Ciarkowski had 5 ace serves, while freshman Cheryl Romel racked up 10 aces and 2 assists. Sophomore Tina Mulka had 3 assists and 3 ace serves. Sophomore Aleaha Reed had 3 kills. The Vikings host Hillman Thursday, and travel to Atlanta Monday. The JV team travels to the Inland Lakes Tournament on Saturday, with games beginning at 9 a.m.

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