Quantcast
skip navigation

Trip to Alexandria keeps North St. Paul rolling down path of success

By Trevor Squire, SportsEngine, 10/11/16, 3:45PM CDT

Share

The Polars took time to bond and refocus while up north, helping them hold off rival Hill-Murray Tuesday night.

winner

Megan Rubbelke (7) celebrates the match-clinching point with North St. Paul teammates in the Polars' four-set victory at Hill Murray. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine

block

Rachel Tschida (3) and Maggie Cave (10) block a shot by Hill Murray's Claire Westby. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine

On her 18th birthday this past Saturday, North St. Paul senior Megan Rubbelke awoke to the sight of balloons and streamers flooding the cabin her teammates were sharing for their weekend tournament in Alexandria.

The Polars pieced together a clean four-game sweep of the tournament field and celebrated by popping those balloons back at the cabin.

North St. Paul carried that fanfare into Tuesday night's matchup at Hill-Murray, defeating the Pioneers 23-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-19 for their 11th straight win.

Ranked eighth in the Class 3A coaches’ poll, the Polars (21-3, 6-0) have continued to roll through their schedule while avoid flatlining, which Rubbelke recognizes can happen when teams play so many games in the regular season.

The cabin stay in Alexandria allowed the Polars to take time off as teammates and focus on just being friends, Rubbelke said.

North St. Paul coach Steve Anderson said that the trip was a good time for the players to talk with each other and reflect upon the season they’ve put together.

It also allowed them to focus on what’s next, which seemed timely with a rematch against the defending Metro East Conference champion Pioneers on the horizon.

North St. Paul defeated Hill-Murray in five sets on Sept. 20 in the teams’ conference matchup (the Metro East Conference uses a single-game round-robin format for determining league standings) despite dropping the first two sets.

Although Tuesday's match was a nonconference bout, the Polars felt shaky facing their longtime rival as both annually finish as the top two teams in the league standings.

“The nerves come on because you’ve played them close so many times, but as you play and play, you get used to it,” said Rubbelke, who finished with 44 assists Tuesday night.

The Polars gave up the final three points of the first set on errors to help hand the No. 8-2A Pioneers (9-9, 3-2) their only victory of the evening.

“We weren’t talking,” Rubbelke said. “We just picked it up and got our communication going.”

North St. Paul opened the following two sets with impressive starts, especially in the third where a 12-1 run that ultimately resulted in the Polars building a 2-1 set advantage. 

After the quick recharge up north, the Polars have a chance to clinch the league title in their final two regular-season games and will be looking to continue their winning streak into Class 3A, Section 4 playoffs.

Rubbelke said the time the players spent together was a good idea because sometimes the team hits a plateau in the season. 

“But having that trip settles everyone down to be friends and not worry about being teammates,” she added.

First Report

Sophie Cave paced North St. Paul with 21 kills while Megan Rubbelke tallied 44 assists to lead the Polars to a 23-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-19 win over the Pioneers Tuesday night at Hill-Murray High School.

Ranked eighth in the Class 3A coaches’ poll, North St. Paul is riding an 11-game winning streak after completing the season sweep of the defending Metro East Conference champion Pioneers.

The Polars (21-3, 6-0) dropped the game’s opening set after surrendering the final three points on errors.

North St. Paul bounced back, winning three consecutive sets in dominant fashion, specifically in the third set where the Polars jumped out to a 12-1 lead.

Claire Westby had a team-high 16 kills and Alina Gartner totaled 32 assists for No. 8-2A Hill-Murray (9-9, 3-2).

Photo Gallery

Spotlight Game Coverage


Most Popular