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Energy, emotion power Maple Lake past pesky Mayer Lutheran

By Drew Herron, SportsEngine, 10/11/16, 3:45PM CDT

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The Irish's size proved decisive at the net as 6-foot-2 Brynn Paumen finished with solo blocks and six deflects.


Maple Lake's Amber Klug (3) and Brynn Paumen (6) block a kill attempt by Mayer Lutheran's Sophia Heuer in the third set Tuesday night. The host Irish won the match 3-1. Photo by Drew Herron, SportsEngine


Crusaders junior Sophia Heuer receives a serve in the third set Tuesday night in Maple Lake. Photo by Drew Herron, SportsEngine

A state tournament-like atmosphere developed Tuesday night in Maple Lake, and the host Irish rode a wave of emotion and energy to a ringing 32-30, 25-15, 21-25, 26-24 victory over visiting Mayer Lutheran in a clash of two highly ranked squads.

Maple Lake (19-1), No. 2 in the Class 2A coaches' poll, triumphed in a wild opening set, then survived a late charge with another narrow victory in the fourth to knock off a pesky and hungry Mayer Lutheran squad that would not go away.

The games bookended a match that proved thrilling and ultimately beneficial for both, and something both sides appreciate as the calendar rolls into mid-October.

“It couldn’t have started any better for us that it did with Game 1,” Maple Lake coach Marty Kiebel said. “It set the tone for the match.”

The contest developed into a chess match, with both teams serving efficiently, receiving the ball well and passing it around. Up front, unforced errors were at a minimum as the squads hammered away...all things one would expect from two teams posting a collective 26-5 record this season.

Momentum swings tended to hinge on mistakes, and Mayer Lutheran coach Joelle Grimsley said her team made too many miscues to prevail over a quality opponent.

“We knew it would be a battle coming in here, and the first set proved that,” Grimsley said. “We made more mistakes than they did, and also, we didn’t start strong. It cost us.”

The Irish's size at the net also proved decisive. The Crusaders hammered away with hitters Madison Hucky, Sophia Heuer and Madi Beck but don't have anyone over 6-feet tall while Maple Lake has two: 6-2 Brynn Paumen and 6-1 Kaleigh Beehler.

Perhaps most perplexing for Mayer Lutheran was Paumen, who made her presence felt as the game wore along. The junior finished with two solo blocks, seven assists and six deflects. 

“Most nights, I think our versatility at the net is enough,” Kiebel said. “But (Mayer Lutheran) has a great deal of versatility up front as well. Tonight, (Paumen) made their team have to think about what kind of swings they were taking.”

Moreover, Linsey Rachel finished with a match-high 17 kills while Amber Klug added 12 and went 15-of-15 from the service line with three aces to lead the Irish. 

As tough as Maple Lake was, especially at the net, the No. 2-1A Crusaders continued to fight and pushed to within two points (when the fourth set was tied 24-24) of leveling the match and head to a winner-take-all fifth set.

Instead, Mayer Lutheran (17-4) will have to take this experience and apply it to the rest of its dwindling schedule before the playoffs arrive.

“There is a lot to be learned from this,” Grimsley said. “I feel like we’re in a good spot right now. We’ve lost some close games, but it’s important that we are learning through these losses and find out what we need to do to get past that.”
 


Maple Lake's Brynn Paumen follows through on a shot while Mayer Lutheran's Lucy Koch (14) and Olivia Tjernagel (8) block. Photo by Drew Herron, SportsEngine

First Report

Maple Lake survived a wild opening set and a fiery finish to knock off visiting Mayer Lutheran 32-30, 25-15, 21-25 and 26-24 on Tuesday night. 

Linsey Rachel finished with a match-high 17 kills while Amber Klug added 12 and went 15-of-15 from the service line with three aces to lead the Irish. 

Mollie Scheiber had a team-high 20 digs and Olivia Marquette recorded 28 assists for Maple Lake (19-1), ranked No. 2 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll

The No. 2-1A Crusaders (17-4) got a combined 16 kills from Madison Hucky and Madi Beck. 


Irish senior Olivia Marquette delivers the final serve in the match-clinching fourth set. Marquette finished with a team-high four ace serves. Photo by Drew Herron, SportsEngine

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