BOTH TEAMS BATTLED BUT THE ARROWS TOOK THE WIN

The MCC Rebels were back in action on Monday night playing host to the Pipestone Area Arrows. The Rebels were coming off a tough weekend in the Marshall Tournament in which they lost to the Arrows on Friday. MCC was looking to bounce back against a team that has struggled to beat teams that the Rebels have beaten already this season. In what would be one of the most frustrating games of the season, the Rebels came up short.

MCC played two of its best sets of the season against the Arrows. The Rebels extended their bench, playing nine players in the first game. The Rebels came out strong, being aggressive with their shots, while playing some good defense both in the back row and up front. The Rebels got some strong hitting from Reese Gilbertson. Elyse Paulzine also had a couple of well placed shots, as the Rebels took set one, 25 to 22. The Rebels momentum continued in game 2 as the Rebels dominated on their way to a 25 to 17 victory. The Rebels were keeping the Arrows off balance with some strong serving and they were doing just enough to slow down Taryn Tuinstra. Momentum is a huge factor in volleyball and when it’s on your side, it’s a great weapon. But when it goes against you, it can be hard to turn it around. The Arrows would get momentum going their way in the third set. The Arrows beat the Rebels 25 to 19. As the Arrows started to make their passes, which created hitting opportunities, the Rebels passing took a step back, costing them chances.

The Arrows would take game four 25 to 21. The Rebels started strong in the fifth set, scoring the first four points. The lead would be short lived, as the Arrows came back and tied the game, then quickly took the lead. The Arrows dominated the fifth game, winning 15 to 6, giving the Arrows a 3 to 2 win.

The Rebels played some of their best volleyball in this game, which made it so frustrating. That good play didn’t lead to a win. Kate Blankenship had 18 digs for the Rebels to lead their defense. Peyton DeGreeff and Elyze Paulzine combined for 10 blocks in the game. The Rebel offense was led by the passing of Avery Thovson and Kelli Miller who had 14 set assists each. The Rebels were led in kills by Peyton DeGreeff who finished with 8 while four other Rebels had 5 each. The loss dropped the Rebels record to 10-10 on the season with two games to play against RTR and Adrian Ellsworth.