Playoff Out & About: 5AAA Blaine/Spring Lake Park

#6 posting 10.29.2008
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

5AAA PLAYOFFS
Semifinals
BLAINE bengals 3, SPRING LAKE PARK panthers 0
(25-12, 25-17, 25-10)

#1 seed Blaine dispatched #5 seed Spring Lake Park with a margin of 36 points. In almost any category the Bengals had an advantage. Blaine took the run category 12-3. The Bengals led at all key break points. SLP only led 1-0 and 2-1 early in the first set. Two Bengals had double digit kills---Ari Mewhorter and Brittney Barren. Blaine has won the section two straight years in a row.

This was a sandwich match with Blaine dominating in the opening and closing sets, with SLP competitive in the second frame. After the first three balls SLP led 2-1. That was their high water mark. Runs were the name of the game with Blaine picking up four in the first set. Blaine led 8-3 when SLP took their first time out. The final run came on Barren's serve at 17-7. It didn't stop Barren. She added five more points, with three straight aces to go along with the one before the time out to put up 9 points in the first stanza. Blaine led 24-8 when SLP had their only run in the first set. However two of the points were on Blaine hitting errors. Tracie Gillund ended the first set with a kill.

Blaine led 8-7 when the Bengals put together an 8-2 run to lead 16-9. A Panther time out in that sequence eventually turned the tide back with a 6-1 SLP run. That forced the only time out by Blaine with the score 17-15 Blaine. After the time out Mehworter knocked down two straight kills and everything was right in the Blaine universe. Blaine outscored SLP 8-2 to finish the second set. Mewhorter had 8 kills in this stanza.

This set took on characteristics of the first. Blaine had nine straight FBSO preventing any points on SLP serves. Blaine was spreading the ball around a little more than in the first contests I watched. Again Barren rocketed some serves forcing a SLP time out at 9-4. Barren put four more on the board to make it 12-4. SLP only earned two points the final frame. The night closed with five points off Mewhorter's serve.

Blaine will face Osseo on Saturday at Coon Rapids for the right to go to state.


you can see the entire Blaine vs Spring Lake Park photo gallery at kevinanderson.photostockplus.com

rotation, player, position, aces-blocks-kills--totals
BLAINE
1. Mackenzie Suda, 2009, S 0-0-2----2
2. Ashley Kvistberg, 2009, OH 1-0-7----8
3. Amber Marciniak, 2009, L 0-0-0----0
3fr: Tracie Gillund, 2009, MH 0-2-6----8
4. Kelli Elhardt, 2010, RH 0-0-3----3
4br: Reiley Dahlberg, 2009, DS 0-0-0----0
5. Arriel Mewhorter, 2009, 3-0-13----16
6. Brittney Barren, 6-4-10----20
totals: 10-4-41----55 points, 20 points on SLP errors

SPRING LAKE PARK
1. Melissa Backes, 2010, OH 0-0-2----2
2. Marissa Evans, 2010, S 0-0-1----1
3. Stephanie Wurzer, 2010, MH 1-0-2----3
4. Melissa Widman, 2010, OH 0-0-3----3
5. Natalee Yeazle, 2009, RH 0-1-7----8
6. Alyssa Luedtke, 2010, L 0-0-0----0
6fr. Jenna Lee, 2010, MH 0-0-0----0
6fr: Katie Norlien, 2009, MH 0-0-0----0
totals: 1-1-15----17 points, 22 points on Blaine errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Brittney Barren--solid at the serving line, with the blocking game and putting down kills.

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/fbso attempts; fbso %; points, % earned; % allowed
Blaine 21/29-.724; 75; .733; .564
Spring Lake Park 11/29-.379; 39; .436 .513
Runs 3+: Blaine 12, SLP 3
Longest string: Blaine 7, SLP 4
Missed Serves: SLP 4, Blaine 3
Time Out %: Blaine 1/1-1.000; SLP 1/5-.200

ROTATIONS
BLAINE
1. Suda 8-8 .500
2. Kvistberg 16-7 .696
3. Marciniak 11-9 .550
4. Elhardt 9-6 .600
5. Mewhorter 13-5 .722
6. Barren 18-4 .818
totals: 75-39 .659

SPRING LAKE PARK
1. Backes 7-14 .333
2. Evans 10-11 .476
3. Wurzer 8-13 .381
4. Widman 6-11 .353
5. Yeazle 4-15 .211
6. Luedkte 4-11 .267
totals: 39-75 .342

RACE TO:
Set: 5 10 15 20 25
set 1 B B B B B
set 2 B B B B B
set 3 B B B B B

BIGGEST LEAD
Team 1 2 3
Blaine 16 8 15
SLP 1 0 0

next up: tomorrow morning