If North St. Paul coach Stephanie Blanda had two words to describe this season, they would be “responsible” and “thinking.” 

“So many times we send players out on the court and tell them what to do and they don’t know why,” Blanda said. “If I can get them out there thinking, and knowing why they are making a certain decision or play call, that will get us to another level.”

After seeing their perfect season come to an end just four days earlier, the Polars entered Wednesday’s matchup with Metro East Conference rival Hill-Murray needing to regain their mental edge. A text message chain helped them sharpen their focus and led to a 27-25, 27-25, 25-22 victory over the Pioneers, a win that preserved their undefeated league record and possibly help put the Polars’ focus back on playing a winning brand of volleyball.

On Wednesday night, Blanda’s team was reeling. North St. Paul was a losing streak, having dropped a 2-1 match to Minnetonka at the Chanhassen Tournament on Saturday and then falling at home to Mounds View 3-2 on Tuesday. 

Junior captain Selena Rodriguez said the Polars (12-2, 3-0) needed a solid, bounce-back win. 

“We took a tough loss last night, so it was important to get this win,” Rodriguez said. “After last night’s loss, we started a text message chain of how we would pick each other up and make each other better. The mental game was so much better today because of that.”

Rodriguez said that her teammates’ attitudes were more upbeat and their mental focus was much sharper against Hill-Murray (12-3, 4-1), ranked No. 7 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll. 

“I told everyone in the message chain that I was going to be more of a captain and leader on the court today,” she said. “As a team, we had to play more together and less as individuals.”

It’s a role Blanda expected Rodriguez to fill.

“I told the captains they need to start a text chain and tell each player how you will be responsible for yourself mentally during a game,” Blanda said. “I said it needed to go around and each player needed to make that commitment to everyone else on the team.” 

Rodriguez met the expectations she laid out for herself in the text, leading the Polars with 15 kills. Junior Angel Khang added nine kills and sophomore Lauren Stenman tallied seven for North St. Paul. 

Rodriguez also came through on the defensive end. She, Charisma Herr and Jenna Rubbelke consistently tallied digs throughout the match, Blanda said.

That defense was key in a tight back-and-forth battle that saw neither team hold more than a four-point lead during any of the sets. 

Hill-Murray senior Claire Westby finished with game-high 16 kills. 

Blanda said the Pioneers, who were 12-2 overall entering the match, had the most kills of any opponent the Polars’ faced this season -- they averaged 13 kills per set. 

Blanda had a strategy to help her team offset Hill-Murray’s strong offense. 

“Lauren Stenman used to play on the right side in the front row, but today I had her playing left because of Hill-Murray’s powerful hitters,” she said. “We needed to have a bigger blocker there. Overall this season, we’re doing a lot more adapting to what’s happening on the other side of the court.”

Despite what happens on the court, Blanda refuses to look nervous or move a lot during a match. 

“I am requiring and asking a lot from my players mentally and to develop in that manner, and having me yelling and pacing around doesn’t really do much to support that effort,” Blanda said. “Sometimes you’ll see me making faces at a bad play, but that’s about as far as it will go.”

Wednesday’s victory was a result of the Polars taking responsibility for helping their teammates,  regaining their mental edge and playing well in close situations. 

Blanda said she was surprised by the breakdown in the mental game against Mounds View because her team has competed at a high level and shown perseverance this season.

Going forward, she hopes Polars stay focused on those two words: responsible and thinking. 

“Each player needs to be responsible for themselves and the other people on the team,” Blanda said. “After the situation last night, we talked about how it is as important to work on the mental aspect of the game as it is the physical. Our entire bench was full tonight, and that’s because we had five junior varsity players sitting there in case someone’s mental game was not on. That’s going to be a main point of focus for the rest of the season.”

North St. Paul recorded a 27-25, 27-25, 25-22 victory at Hill-Murray on Wednesday night.

After winning the first 10 matches of their season, the Polars lost two in a row and entered the contest with the Pioneers needing to have a strong bounce-back game, North St. Paul first-year coach Stephanie Blanda said.

Junior Selena Rodriguez provided the Polars with plenty of spring, leading the team with 15 kills and helping it remain undefeated in the Metro East Conference. Rodriguez had a block to close out the first set and a kill to end the third, securing the match victory.

Junior Angel Khang had nine kills and sophomore Lauren Stenman added seven for North St. Paul.

Senior Claire Westby finished with a team-high 16 kills for the Pioneers, who are No. 7 in the Class 2A coaches' poll.

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