SARTELL 鈥� Margie Anderson stands alone atop the Bemidji High 歪歪漫画 volleyball record book.
The Lumberjacks鈥� junior setter reset the BHS record for set assists in last Saturday鈥檚 Section 8-4A quarterfinal match against second-seeded St. Michael-Albertville, recording 34 to set up Bemidji鈥檚 upset victory.
ADVERTISEMENT
It was thought after Saturday鈥檚 match that Anderson was still four assists short of 2,217, the career record previously held by Alexa Greendahl, who graduated in the Class of 2015. A closer examination this weekend by head coach Alicia Kriens revealed that Anderson had instead already compiled 2,220 set assists in her three-year career, breaking the record against the second-seeded Knights last Saturday.
鈥淚 found out (Sunday) morning, and we told her at practice on Monday when we got there,鈥� Kriens said. 鈥淲e had our meeting, talked about Sartell, (the) game plan. And then at the end of practice, we announced that Margie had hit it over the weekend and let her know. 鈥� She was pretty cool, though, about it. You know Margie.鈥�
True to form, Anderson had a distinct take on resetting the record.
鈥淚t means a lot,鈥� she said. 鈥淎ll the work that I put in. The Lord has just given me so much joy and strength to pursue that and (blessed) me with so many great teammates. My amazing passers, my amazing hitters, they've helped me so much. They鈥檝e made me better. Every single constructive criticism the coaches have given me to push me to my best, to give me that record, it鈥檚 just all of them. Glory to everyone else. Everyone has helped me so much, and I couldn't have done it without them.鈥�
Anderson added 33 more assists in the Jacks鈥� Section 8-4A semifinal win over No. 3 Sartell on Tuesday, bringing her updated career total to 2,253. Kriens, a setter herself as a player, noted how much Anderson has enhanced her skill set since her first practice during freshman year.
鈥淔or setters especially, it's a lot of repetition,鈥� Kriens said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to make sure everything's right. When she came in as a ninth grader, we worked a lot on her footwork. That was a huge part. You鈥檝e got to get your body underneath that ball to make sure that you're giving a good set. Really, having a good foundation for Margie has helped her be able to elevate the game to where she is now.鈥�
That elevation hasn鈥檛 yet hit the top floor. With at least one more match to play this season, plus another full year to come, Anderson is now setting her sights on an even loftier benchmark: becoming the first BHS setter to reach 3,000 assists.
ADVERTISEMENT
鈥淵eah, that's a goal,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut whatever happens, happens.鈥�
Anderson鈥檚 already higher up than anyone else who came before her. And for Kriens, witnessing her holistic development to reach that perch has been just as rewarding.
鈥淚'm really proud of how hard she's been working,鈥� Kriens said. 鈥淪he's come a long way since her ninth-grade year setting-wise and on the mental side of games, maturity-wise, at running her court. Just really proud of the choices she's making right now. And to know that she has another year and that we can even elevate her game a little bit more is super exciting. We're just going to have to find her a new goal to really work for.鈥�
The Trust Project
