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The Dogs swept a nonconference match at EV-W on Monday, Sept. 22, and a conference match at Sauk Centre on Tuesday, Sept. 23, but LPGE rallied to beat the Bulldogs in five sets on Thursday.

Against LPGE, the Bulldogs won the first set 26-24 but fell behind early in the second set and lost 25-18. The Dogs led in the third set 22-21, with junior Rachael Wendlandt having four kills and a block as the Dogs rallied to take a lead. But LPGE won four of the last five points and took that set 25-23.

Down 2-1, the Bulldogs won a close fourth set, 26-24. The score was tied 17-17, 18-18, 19-19, 20-20, and 21-21. Then the Bulldogs won two straight points and led 23-21, but LPGE won three points and took a 24-23 lead. But Paynesville won the last three points to win the set.

Junior Brittany lieser reaches for a block against LPGE last week.

The Dogs were unable to keep the momentum in the deciding fifth set, as LPGE took a 6-2 lead and won the fifth set 15-9. The Bulldogs had got within three points at 12-9 but LPGE scored three straight points to win.

"This was another hard-fought match that the Bulldogs fell just short in," said head coach Dawn Knoll. "We still need to work on the killer instinct. When the match is within reach, we need to put it away. There were many times within this match that our timing was off, and it seemed that the team wasn't playing together and then there were other times that our attack was unstoppable."

The Bulldogs had a chance to even their record but dropped to 6-8 overall with the loss. The Bulldogs are now 1-5 in conference.

This week, the Bulldogs hosted Albany on Tuesday. They will play at state-rated St. Cloud Cathedral on Thursday. Next week, they will host Kimball on Monday, Oct. 6, and will play at Melrose on Tuesday, Oct. 7.

LPGE--	24	25	25	24	15
Paynesville--	26	18	23	26	9

Individual Results
Hitting: Amanda Glenz - 13A; Rachael Wendlandt - 12A;
Serving: Brittany Lieser 19/20 - 1A; Kendra Johnson 17/19 - 2A;
Blocks: Jessie Virant - 7A; Glenz - 6A;
Assists: Johnson 54/54 - 15A; Amy Roberg 42/43 - 16A.

Paynesville 3, Sauk Centre 0
Paynesville defeated Sauk Centre in three straight games in a road match on Tuesday, Sept. 23.

The Bulldogs split with Sauk Centre last year, both matches lasting five sets, with the Bulldogs getting their first victory over the Mainstreeters in a decade.

This time, the Bulldogs won three close sets: 25- 23, 25-18, and 26-24.

"The Bulldogs came out and played well against a Sauk Centre team that has been playing hot and cold all season," said Knoll. "The entire team covered well and wasn't willing to let the ball hit the floor without a strong effort."

Junior Rachael Wendlandt led the Bulldogs at the net with 15 kills.

The Dogs also served 92 percent as a team.

"It was very nice to get our first conference win," said Knoll. "The WCC North is very balanced this year, and it seems that any team can come out and play strong on any given night."

"The girls seem to be getting all the parts of the offense and the defense put into place," added Knoll. "This should be a good stepping stone into the second half of the conference season."

Paynesville--	25	25	26
Sauk Centre--	23	18	24

Individual Results
Hitting: Rachael Wendlandt - 15A; Amanda Glenz - 7A; Brittany Lieser - 4A;
Serving: Kendra Johnson 18/18 -Ê1A; Amy Roberg 15/15 - 4A; Glenz 15/16;
Blocks: Glenz - 4A;
Assists: Roberg 49/49 - 13A; Johnson 42/42 - 16A.

Paynesville 3, EV-W 0
Paynesville dominated their match at Eden Valley-Watkins on Monday, Sept. 22, winning nearly two-thirds of the points and winning in three straight sets.

The Bulldogs won the first set 25-10 and cruised to victory. The Dogs won the second set 25-19 and the third set 25-15.

"The Bulldogs played well but the pace was very slow," said Knoll. "It gave the team an opportunity to work on its offense and defense within the system." The Bulldogs served 96 percent as a team and also were perfect in setting, with senior Amy Roberg and junior Kendra Johnson setting 74 balls, and assisting 32 kills, without error.

Junior Rachael Wendlandt led the Bulldogs at the net last week, recording 40 kills in three matches, including two victories for the Dogs.

Junior Rachael Wendlandt had 13 kills, and senior Amanda Glenz had 12 to lead the Dogs at the net.

"Rachael Wendlandt has started hitting the ball extremely well, and hopefully this will continue so that we can have a more balanced attack with Amanda Glenz, Brittany Lieser, and Rachael Wendlandt all being forces in the front row," said Knoll. "Now the big challenge is to get our other hitters to step up and be more aggressive."

Paynesville--	25	25	25
Eden Valley-Watkins--	10	19	15

Individual Results
Hitting: Rachael Wendlandt - 13A; Amanda Glenz - 12A; Brittany Lieser - 6A;
Serving: Kendra Johnson 14/14 - 1A; Lieser 13/14 - 2A; Val Callenius 9/9 - 1A;
Blocks: Jessica Virant - 2A; Wendlandt - 2A;
Assists: Amy Roberg 38/38 - 15A; Johnson 36/36 - 17A.