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With Fosston holding a two games to none lead in Monday's contest in Crookston, the Pirates snuck out a thrilling 25-22 game three win but the Greyhounds would finish the match with a convincing game four win.
The Pirates finish the regular season at 6-17, while the Class A Greyhounds improve to 17-11-1.
"We started out really, very slow," said Pirate head coach Lon Boike. "We still might have been on MEA break. We wanted to get off to a good start against this very good Fosston team."
Coach Boike said it's all about putting three phases of the game passing, hitting and blocking together.
"At the end of game two it started to come together," he said. "In game three all of a sudden we started passing better and that makes all the difference in the world. You can have the best hitters in the world but if you can't pass it does no good."
Fosston senior Tara Evje was brilliant, totaling 15 kills and an impressive eight aces with her hard-hit jump serve.
Crookston was led by senior Monica Wold, who had eight kills and 15 digs. Junior Taylor Demarais added 15 digs, while senior Hayley Solheim had 14. Freshman Kenzie Klatt recorded 11 assists and three aces, while junior Katie Davidson had seven assists and two aces. Junior Erica Samuelson posted seven kills. Freshmen Amber Froeber and Brooke Heggie each had three blocks.
The Pirates came out flat to start the night and the Greyhounds jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the opening game and cruised to the win.
Game two was similar with Fosston jumping out to another 7-2 lead. Evje would put the game out of reach with six consecutive points off her serve to give the Greyhounds a 14-2 advantage.
Game three was much different as the Pirates came out and battled from the start. The Pirates led 8-6 before the Greyhounds went on a 9-1 run to go up 15-9 and just when it was looking like Fosston would walk away with a sweep, Crookston came alive. The Pirates rattled off nine of the next ten points, including six consecutive on Klatt's serve. The 9-1 run was capped by a Wold ace to the back corner of the Greyhound court, giving the Pirates four match points. They would need three of them but eventually they would force a game four.
"That was a good win for us and getting some confidence against a good team," coach Boike said. "We know we can play that well. We just have to be consistent."
Fosston jumped out to an 8-3 lead in game four and cruised to the deciding win.
It's now onto the Section 8AA Playoffs for the Pirates, who will travel to Pequot Lakes on Thursday with the seventh seed to face the second seeded Patriots. The winner will play Friday in the section quarterfinals.
With Fosston holding a two games to none lead in Monday's contest in Crookston, the Pirates snuck out a thrilling 25-22 game three win but the Greyhounds would finish the match with a convincing game four win.
The Pirates finish the regular season at 6-17, while the Class A Greyhounds improve to 17-11-1.
"We started out really, very slow," said Pirate head coach Lon Boike. "We still might have been on MEA break. We wanted to get off to a good start against this very good Fosston team."
Coach Boike said it's all about putting three phases of the game passing, hitting and blocking together.
"At the end of game two it started to come together," he said. "In game three all of a sudden we started passing better and that makes all the difference in the world. You can have the best hitters in the world but if you can't pass it does no good."
Fosston senior Tara Evje was brilliant, totaling 15 kills and an impressive eight aces with her hard-hit jump serve.
Crookston was led by senior Monica Wold, who had eight kills and 15 digs. Junior Taylor Demarais added 15 digs, while senior Hayley Solheim had 14. Freshman Kenzie Klatt recorded 11 assists and three aces, while junior Katie Davidson had seven assists and two aces. Junior Erica Samuelson posted seven kills. Freshmen Amber Froeber and Brooke Heggie each had three blocks.
The Pirates came out flat to start the night and the Greyhounds jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the opening game and cruised to the win.
Game two was similar with Fosston jumping out to another 7-2 lead. Evje would put the game out of reach with six consecutive points off her serve to give the Greyhounds a 14-2 advantage.
Game three was much different as the Pirates came out and battled from the start. The Pirates led 8-6 before the Greyhounds went on a 9-1 run to go up 15-9 and just when it was looking like Fosston would walk away with a sweep, Crookston came alive. The Pirates rattled off nine of the next ten points, including six consecutive on Klatt's serve. The 9-1 run was capped by a Wold ace to the back corner of the Greyhound court, giving the Pirates four match points. They would need three of them but eventually they would force a game four.
"That was a good win for us and getting some confidence against a good team," coach Boike said. "We know we can play that well. We just have to be consistent."
Fosston jumped out to an 8-3 lead in game four and cruised to the deciding win.
It's now onto the Section 8AA Playoffs for the Pirates, who will travel to Pequot Lakes on Thursday with the seventh seed to face the second seeded Patriots. The winner will play Friday in the section quarterfinals.
