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Paynesville Press - November 1, 2006

Netters ousted by LPGE in section opener

By Michael Jacobson

The Bulldogs volleyball team was eliminated from the Section 6AA playoffs in the first round by LPGE on Thursday, losing in four sets.

The ninth-seeded Dogs lost the first game 25-22 but evened the match by winning the second game by the same score. At that point, the two teams had played exactly even, but LPGE won the third game 25-11 and the fourth game 25-13, winning two-thirds of the points in games three and four.

"Volleyball is full of momentum swings," said coach Dawn Knoll, "and when the Thunder came out and got a long string of points together in the beginning of game three and again in game four, we were not able to answer with a strong attack."

Knoll was pleased with how the Dogs played in the first two sets. "In game one the score was very close, and neither team was taking control of the match. It was the first time all year that we were put into a situation where we ran out of substitutions," said Knoll. "After some adjustmentsŠfor game two, the team was able to come out and play well. We passed and attacked their defensive holes and pulled out the win in the game."

Senior Amanda Lieser and sophomore Anna Kotten led the Dogs with six kills each, with Kotten adding four blocks. Juniors Chelsey Hansen and Kayla Lieser each had nine ace set assists. Sophomore Kelli Flannigan led the Dogs in serving (15 of 16) and with 13 digs.

The Dogs finished their season with a record of 1-22. "There were many matches this year that we were very competitive in but just could not finish with the confidence that we needed to win the match," said Knoll. "This was a tough season, but the team worked hard throughout, and our younger players got some needed experience. This was a season that hinged on everyone playing their roles to the best of their ability; there was not a single player that consistently stood out. Many nights the little mistakes added up to a bigger obstacle that caused us problems."

LPGE was eliminated in the section quarterfinals on Friday night, being swept by top-seeded Sauk Centre. The Mainstreeters now face fifth-seeded EV-W in the section semifinals on Tuesday, Oct. 31, with second-seeded BBE facing third-seeded Albany in the other half of the bracket.

Paynesville--22 25 11 13
Paynesville--25 22 25 25

Individual Statistics
Hitting: Amanda Lieser 16/17 - 6A; Anna Kotten 15/19 - 6A; Chelsey Kalkbrenner 14/23 - 3A; Laura Schaefer 13/14 - 4A; Kate Olson 13/15 - 2A; Kristin Lang 10/15 - 2A; Team 81/103 - 23A;
Serving: Kelli Flannigan 15/16; Lang 14/15; Kayla Lieser 11/11; Kotten 8/8; Carissa Utsch 6/6; Chelsey Hansen 6/8; Randi Schaefer 3/3; Team 63/67;
Blocks: Kotten 4; Lang 2;
Assists: Hansen 50/51 - 9A; Kayla Lieser 45/47 - 9A; Team 95/98 - 18A;
Digs: Flannigan 13; Utsch 10; Team 38.



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