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"We gave them a run for their money," said senior Lisa Hemingson.

The Huskies missed a lot of serves in the first game and the Bulldogs took control of the match right away and won the first game 15-9. Middle hitter Mindy Meagher said, "The first game was really fast pace and we took control and pounded the ball."

Disaster happened in the second game for the Bulldogs. The Huskies scored the first ten points, and the Bulldogs were unable to halt their progress. Paynesville scored only two points in the game to make the final score 15-2.

Junior setter Hannah Braun had 18 ace sets assists against Litchfield.

The Bulldogs' communication was down, along with their hitting and passing. "Volleyball is a mental game and we weren't focused in this game," said coach Sheila Mayer.

The Huskies continued their domination in the third game, using hard hits to pick apart Paynesville's defense piece by piece. Albany took the third game 15-4.

The Bulldogs' fourth game started off rocky with bad passes and low communication. However, after a good talk with the coaches during a time out, the Bulldogs went back to playing good volleyball by hitting hard, digging, and blocking.

Meagher had four ace blocks in the fourth game alone. Seniors Melissa Bachman and Ashley Wall also came alive, adding two blocks. Sophomore Amanda Glenz played in the fourth game and did a good job of getting hits and blocks.

Trailing 11-5, the Bulldogs gained control of the ball and Jenny Habben served five points to close the gap, but Albany still won the game 15-12 and the match 3-1.

Senior Sara Lieser led the team in ace hits with seven. Hemingson had 12 set assists. Senior Heidi Jansen led the Bulldogs in serving with five aces.

The Bulldogs hosted Maple Lake on Monday and ACGC on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs will have nine days off before starting subsections. They will play their first playoff game on Thursday, Oct. 25.

Paynesville--	15	2	4	12
Albany--	9	15	15	15

Individual Statistics
Hitting: Sara Lieser 21/23 - 7A; Mindy Meagher 22/25 - 6A; Ashley Wall 6/7 - 3A;
Serving: Heidi Jansen 18/18 - 5A; Hannah Braun 8/9 - 1A; Jenny Habben 7/8 - 2A;
Blocks: Meagher - 4A; Wall - 2A; Bachman - 2A;
Assists: Hemingson 32/35 - 12A; Braun 42/47 - 4A;
Digs: Lieser 15/21.

Paynesville 3, Litchfield 0
The Paynesville Bulldogs slayed the Litchfield Dragons again on Thursday. Paynesville won the conference match in a mere three games on Parent's Night.

In the first game, the Bulldogs dominated, winning 15-5. The Dogs hit hard and placed the ball in open spots on the floor.

The Bulldogs won the second game 15-5 again. Litchfield made a lot of mistakes, and Paynesville used them to gain momentum.

"We dominated in the first two games, and we pulled together in the third game to come out on top," said Lieser.

In the third - and last - game, the Bulldogs fell behind 11-5 when their communication sagged along with their passing and hitting. The Bulldog especially struggled in receiving serve.

But Paynesville got a side out, and Habben served ten straight points to finish the game 15-11 and the match. Every time the Dragons returned the ball, Paynesville dug it up and smashed it to the floor.

Wall contributed three ace blocks in the last game alone. Junior Morgan Martinson and Bachman each added two ace blocks.

"The team played hard and tough, yet smart," said Bachman.

Meagher and Jansen were the team leaders in kills with 11 and 10 apiece. Junior Hannah Braun had 18 set assists for the Bulldogs.

With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 5-7 in the WCC North and 8-9 overall.

Litchfield--	5	5	11
Paynesville--	15	15	15

Individual Statistics
Hitting: Mindy Meagher 24/26 - 11A; Heidi Jansen 19/19 - 10A; Morgan Martinson 14/14 - 4A;
Serving: Sara Lieser 10/10; Jansen 12/13 - 3A; Hannah Braun 11/13 - 2A;
Blocks: Ashley Wall - 3A; Martinson - 2A; Melissa Bachman - 2A;
Assists: Braun 40/41 - 18A; Lisa Hemingson 31/31 - 7A;
Digs: Jen Habben 14/15; Braun 11/12; Jansen 14/17.