歪歪漫画

ST. MICHAEL 鈥� The Bemidji High 歪歪漫画 volleyball team was not letting the moment get away on Saturday in St. Michael.

Facing second-seeded St. Michael-Albertville in a Section 8-4A quarterfinal tilt, the Lumberjacks pounced early, securing sets one and two to procure a 2-0 lead. And after a stumble in the third frame, BHS rebounded to vanquish the Knights in the fourth with a dominant 25-11 effort.

The 3-1 win granted seventh-seeded Bemidji a trip to the section semis for the first time in two years. Mollie Rupp was the star of the show again, hammering down a career-high 33 kills.

鈥淚t was just awesome,鈥� said Jacks head coach Alicia Kriens. 鈥淲e played well. After that third set, we reset, refocused and got after it. We jumped on them early and came out (with the win).鈥�

The Jacks (14-14) managed a tight victory in set one, requiring extra points to pull out a 27-25 triumph. The second set was a bit breezier, ending in a 25-17 margin.

But STMA (18-11) rebounded with a lopsided 25-15 decision in set three. That laid the foundation for the most one-sided frame of the afternoon, a 25-11 Bemidji blowout in the fourth.

鈥淐oming into it, it was super helpful that we were the lower seed,鈥� Rupp said. 鈥淲e had an underdog mindset, coming in and playing like we had nothing to lose. We were going out swinging hard and making good plays, and who cares if you miss? We aren't supposed to win. So let's give them all we got.鈥�

Rupp led the way with her career high, pairing it with a .338 hitting efficiency mark. BHS hit .324 as a team, and no Jacks hitter posted a negative swinging average. Livia Ritchie contributed six kills, while Margie Anderson added four without an error. Brooklyn Saiger and Aurora Frank each finished three, with Saiger also avoiding any errors.

Anderson posted 34 set assists to pace Bemidji, also leading with 12 digs. Sammy Nistler added 10, with Rupp (seven), Jordan Pemberton (five), Ritchie (four) and Frank (two) also getting on the defensive scoresheet.

鈥淭his is a huge win,鈥� Kriens said. 鈥淲e've been talking about it all year, how much they're capable of and how to elevate their play. Today was a good jumping-off point for them to see how well they can play when they all really focus in and dial in on the game plan and execute well. Knowing that the energy 鈥� it takes every single one of them, not just a few. Everybody played their part today to make it all work well.鈥�

The Lumberjacks found confidence early on, and that boost buoyed them to an epic upset victory.

鈥淚 definitely didn't expect it right away, but our level of play was phenomenal,鈥� Rupp said. 鈥淲e were definitely dominating St. Michael and picking them apart, which was super fun on our side. We had so much momentum and energy, and it totally shut them down. After the first set, I was like, 鈥榃e can do this.鈥� We kept building on that, never getting down and really getting excited, because you could tell that our energy was really taking a toll on St. Michael.鈥�

Bemidji 3, St. Michael-Albertville 1

BHS 27 25 15 25 鈥� 3

STMA 25 17 25 11 鈥� 1