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The Crusaders, who have qualified for the state tournament three times since 2000, won the first game 25-17 and the second 25-12.

The Dogs rallied in the third set, scoring four straight points to take a 13-11 lead that they held for the rest of the set. They led 23-18 before the Crusaders rallied, scoring four straight points. Senior Shonda Martinson got a kill for a sideout to give Paynesville a 24-22 lead, and after a Cathedral sideout made it 24-23, senior Melanie Mages got a kill for another sideout and a 25-23 win.

The Dogs rallied from an early deficit to tie the fourth set at 16. But, trailing 20-18, the Dogs allowed Cathedral to score four straight points, and the Crusaders won the fourth set 25-19 and the match in four sets.

Senior Melanie Mages led the Bulldogs with 14 kills and was second with nine digs in their four-set loss to St. Cloud Cathedral last week.

"The first match of the season is always a challenge as the kids try to get back into the routine of school and competition. We had some very good moments during the match, but some fundamental errors hurt us in the long run," said coach Dawn Knoll.

"We need to pass the ball more accurately so that we are not chasing the setter all over the court," explained Knoll. "It is difficult to get a great hit when the pass doesn't go to the target. We also need to develop a better court sense and find the holes in the opponent's defense."

Mages led the Dogs with 14 kills, followed by Martinson with nine and senior Lynn Lieser with eight. Senior Ashley Lieser led the Dogs, being perfect in 17 service attempts and with 34 ace assists. Sophomore Kayla Lieser, playing libero, led the team with 10 digs.

This week, the Dogs (0-1) played at Melrose on Tuesday night. On Thursday, they will host Albany, and next week they will play at Sauk Centre on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Cathedral--	25	25	23	25
Paynesville--	17	12	25	19	15

Individual Statistics
Hitting: Melanie Mages 20/25 - 14A; Lynn Lieser 21/22 - 8A; Shonda Martinson 21/27 - 9A; Kristin Lang 11/13 - 2A; Team 76/95 - 35A;
Serving: Ashley Lieser 17/17; Mages 12/13; Lynn Lieser 9/9; Lang 7/7 - 1A; Amanda Skalicky 7/10 - 1A; Kayla Nelson 6/7 - 1A; Chelsey Kalkbrenner 4/5 - 1A; Kristin Nietfeld 3/3; Team 68/74 - 4A;
Blocks: Lynn Lieser (1 solo/3 assists); Martinson (2 solo/ 2 assists); Lang (3 assists); Mages (1 assist);
Assists: Ashley Lieser 92/93 - 34A; Team 92/93 - 34A;
Digs: Kayla Lieser 10; Mages 9; Skalicky 8; Lynn Lieser 7; Kalkbrenner 5; Amanda Lieser 4; Nelson 4; Team 56.