MCC Sports

The Murray County Central Rebels opened the Subsection playoffs this past Saturday in Worthington. The Rebels played the Hills Beaver Creek Patriots for the third time this season.

The Rebels and Eagles played off in a tough battle this past Monday night. Both teams started the evening right in the middle of the pack for the conference. Whichever team came out victorious, would edge up in the conference standings. MCC started off the first set with great serving from Kiana Felber and an early lead. Felber tallied up 11 digs, which allowed the Rebels to move the ball around well offensively. MCC topped SWMC 25-20. Game two began with a rocky start for the Rebels. MCC made a few too many defensive errors, which allowed the Eagles to jump out ahead. The Rebels chipped away at SWMC’s defense, but in the end it wasn’t enough to make up the point deficit. The Eagles took the second set 23-25. The third set started with great plays by both teams. The Rebels started to struggle digging up hits from the Eagles midway through the set. This gave SWMC a seven point advantage. MCC took a timeout, and from there Sophie Larson racked up 5 ace serves. The Rebels took 8 straight points, gaining the lead back. Both teams battled and had great rally plays. In the end, two hitting errors by the Eagles gave MCC the win 26- 24. Game four began with a lot of back and forth action for the teams. Both squads battled to gain more than just a few point lead at a time, but were unsuccessful. It came down to which team could have better defensive efficiency. MCC’s offense came out and dominated their defense and solidified the win 25-22. The Rebels defeated the Eagles three games to one.

The Rebels traveled to Tyler Friday night to take on the Knights in their brand new gym. MCC was excited to play in the new facility, but knew it would be a challenge. The two faced off earlier in a preseason scrimmage, but now both teams had a setter out due to knee injuries. The biggest thing the Rebels needed for the night was energy!

The Rebels traveled to Luverne this past week to participate against Luverne and West Lyon in a triangular. MCC started off the evening playing an experienced West Lyon team. Game one started off well for the Rebels. The two teams battled back and forth for a while. However, the Wildcats were able to carry the tempo and gain the advantage in the middle of the set. MCC struggled with errors, and that was enough room for West Lyon to take the win 16-25. The second set started off with multiple errors by the Rebels. The Wildcats gained a big lead and the momentum right away. MCC tried getting back into winning position, but could not knock down their errors. West Lyon won the set 14-25, taking the match in two.

MURRAY COUNTY CENTRAL REBEL FOOTBALL TEAM - Front (L to R): Aidan Dierks, Griffen Braun, Ashton Kalas, Thomas Huso, Colby Kesteloot, McKaden Danneman, Drew Wajer, Michael Risacher, Anikan Larson, Carter Benda, Talan Felber. Middle (L to R): Dylan Doeden, Carson Engelkes, Hudson Schryvers, Jackson Sturges, Jaden Deacon, Abe Paulzine, Broox Platt, Christian Tentinger, Ross Engelkes, Andrew Holm, Tate Tromblay, Connor DeGreeff. Back (L to R): Student Manager Gracie Haupert, Abdiel Castillo, Christian Kuball, Logan Steinle, Luk Havermeier, Nate Kleven, Chant Mitchell, Justin Scotting, Peyton Coulter, Dawson Blankenship, Brock Smith, Cody Einck, Kevin Garcia, Student Manager Grace Williams. Not pictured: Wyatt Loosbrock, Mason Wendland, Torin ThunderHawk.

MCC made the trip to Dawson-Boyd to take on the Black jacks in their second match of the season. The Blackjacks started the first set off with the serve. The Rebels took a few rallies to get into a groove, which allowed Dawson-Boyd to gain a slight lead early on. The two teams fought point for point throughout the middle of the set. MCC battled through and had some great plays at the net to sneak away with the win 25-21. Game two started with an early 3-0 lead for the Rebels. However, multiple receiving errors in a row allowed for the Blackjacks to gain the up per hand and the momentum. MCC dug themselves deeper into a hole during the middle of the set with errors on the offensive and defensive side. MCC’s Zoey Iverson brought some fire back with four ace serves in a row. But in the end it wasn’t enough and the Rebels fell 16-25. The third set started off more promising for the Rebels. Both teams went back and forth with the lead. Towards the end of the third set injury plagued the Rebels. Quick substitutions were made, but the Blackjacks held the momentum and took the set 23-25. MCC was in a dire position. They had to win this fourth game in order to have a chance at winning the match. The girls were able to calm down and get used to their new rotation and positions. The Rebels carried the lead throughout the beginning of the fourth set, but allowed Dawson-Boyd to come back in the middle. The Rebels were down 12-17, but they weren’t giving up so easily. Emily Rohrer stepped to the service line and put down three ace serves, as well as a few huge back row attacks. The energy on the Rebels side of the court was contagious. MCC matched their powerful offensive tools with some outstanding digging • in Life the Liability back row. Commercial • Property The Rebels • Health took the lead late in the game and rode through with it winning 25-20. The night came down to a fifth and final set to 15. MCC won the serve and you could feel the desire to win radiating from the girls. The Rebels started off strong and with a ton of energy. Despite a few defensive errors, MCC was able to gain an early lead with some powerful front row plays. They carried that lead throughout the set and shut down the Blackjacks 15-11. MCC won the match 3 games to 2 over Dawson-Boyd.

MCC’s volleyball program was excited to open up their season against the Canby Lancers this past Thursday evening. The Rebels knew starting off the season with the Lancers would be a big challenge. However, getting back into a “normal” routine had the players, coaches and fans ecstatic for that first match.