SIOUX FALLS The top-seeded Miller Rustlers rebounded from an opening round upset to post a come-from-behind 3-1 win over the Mount Vernon/Plankinton Titans in a consolation semifinal Class A State volleyball tournament match, Friday afternoon at the Denny Sanford PREMIERE Center.
Set scores for the Rustlers were 21-25, 25-14, 26-24 and 25-18.
Miller will take a record of 29-2 into todays consolation championship fifth-place game against Sioux Valley, while the Titans, 27-7, will take on Winner in the seventh-place match.
After struggling with the serve-receive game on Thursday, Miller allowed only three ace serves in the match to MV/P, while lacing 10 of their own, led by Paige Werdels three aces. Both Kate Lichty and Jolie Palmer chalked up two aces.
Miller jumped out to a quick lead in the first set on kills from Paige Werdel and Lichty, but Reagan Rus had the Titans firmly balanced on her shoulders and kept MV/P in the set. The score remained close or tied throughout much of the set, until a 4-0 run, keyed by a block/kill by Lichty and closed with back-to-back kills from Kaihlyn Anderberg turned an 19-16 deficit into a 20-19 lead for the Rustlers, prompting a timeout by the Titans.
Out of the timeout, MV/P responded with a 4-0 run of its own to reestablish a three-point lead, 23-20. Rus and Taryn Hegg made sure that the score held up and the Titans took the first set.
Both squads had difficulty finding their opponents court with served through the day, and it was never more apparent than in the second set.
MV/P ended the set with 14 points, four of which came on Rustler service errors, while the Titans committed three errors at the service line and had several kill attempts that sailed long or never cleared the net.
The second set was close, until a 5-0 run by the Rustlers made it 13-7 after kills by Anderberg and Gracen Werdel and three errors by MV/P.
The Titans got the margin down to four points twice, but a late rally, featuring two kills by Aleah Schlecter, a Lichty ace and another kill from Anderberg put the Rustlers back on course and two straight Rus hitting errors closed out the 25-14 Miller win that tied the match at one set each.
With both teams seeking to take a lead, the third set was very competitive from the first serve – an ace by Palmer. Miller maintained a two-to-three point lead throughout the first portion of the set, before Rus stepped back into the front row for the Titans.
A timely Rustler ace from substitute Oliva Nye put Miller up 16-13 and they appeared poised to make another run that would put the set away.
But a short time later, MV/P had a 20-18 lead, with Rus accounting for five kills in the run. Schlechter responded and Lichty notched an ace to knot the score at 20-all and the teams traded points and the lead until a Paige Werdel kill gave Miller a 24-23 lead. Madalynn Lorang got a kill to catch the corner for the Titans to tie the score and force volleyball overtime, but an immediate service error put Miller at set point and Lichty sent home the winner on the next rally.
The final set was all Rustlers, although the score may not tell the entire story.
Miller led 5-3 after a Anderberg kill, and a block kill by Lichty and a Paige Werdel ace made it 7-3 and while the Titans never went away – tying the match at 8-8 and 10-10 – Miller never gave the lead back, and five straight hitting or serving errors in the late stages of the set by MV/P doomed the Titans.
Palmer collected her second ace of the match and Gracen Werdel pounded home the final kill for the set and match win.
While Rus led all the hitters with 18 kills in the match and Lorang added 13, the duo had all but four of the kills registered by the Titans. MV/P had only three aces and Alyssa Johnson was credited with 27 assists, while Alexis Hauge had 22 digs and Johnson added 21 to key the Titan defense.
Miller, on the other hand, had five players with seven or more kills in the match, led by Schlechters 14 big swings. Lichty had 10 kills, while both Paige Werdel and Anderberg notched nine kills and Gracen Werdel laced seven counters. Olivia Resel again had an outstanding setting match, passing out 45 assists. Palmer had 29 digs to lead the devense, that saw 15 digs by Schlecter, 13 each by Resel and Anderberg and 11 by Gracen Werdel.
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