NB wins own Invite

The North Branch volleyball squad split a pair of games last week in its regular schedule and then went on to capture top honors in the North Branch Invitational.
The Vikes earned a three game win over Duluth East Sept. 9, with scores of 25-22, 25-12, 25-21.
Head Coach Jim VanEerden said it was a solid victory for the team. He credits sophomore Kaia Nyberg for coming through with key blocking for the team. Nyberg totalled 6 blocks and 4 kills in the win.
On Sept. 11, the squad lost a close-fought battle to Foley in four games: 28-30, 20-25, 30-28, 23-25. ìWe played poorly in all aspects of the game,î VanEerden said. ìI credit Foleyís defense. They dug the ball very well to keep it in play until we committed an error.î
To end the week, the Vikings faced St. Francis in the North Branch Invitational championship game, coming away with a three-game win and the title.
To advance to the final round, the Vikes defeated Proctor 26-24, 25-17 and Moose Lake 25-13, 25-16 before falling to Sartell 16-25, 20-25.
The match against St. Francis went to a third-game tiebreaker, as North Branch won the first game 25-22, lost the second 20-25 and won the third game 15-12.
ìIím very happy with how the players responded to playing a very good team,î VanEerden said. ìWhen our team is focused we can play very well. Our goal is to do this on a more consistent basis.î
In the St. Francis game, Kaity Vichorek and Rachel Brown led the team with 10 kills apiece. Jenny Anderson added 6 solo blocks, and setter Abby Fairbanks had 24 set assists. As a team, the Vikings committed only 4 serving errors.
The squad is now 1-1 in the Rum River Conference, 6-4 overall. This week, the team was scheduled to face Zimmerman Tuesday and Mora Thursday in two home matches.

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