Muskie spikers split with Broncos

Two familiar storylines involving the Muskie girls’ volleyball program resurfaced yesterday at Fort High.
The junior girls’ squad (4-2) defeated the visiting Kenora Broncos (0-8) for the fourth-straight time in NorWOSSA play this season—this time in a five-set thriller (25-14, 18-25, 25-19, 21-25, and 15-10).
“Our play wasn’t the best, our serves weren’t the best, and we weren’t communicating,” head coach Jeff Rajala said. “However, the complaints are moot because we won.
“We’ve swept Kenora in the regular season, which is the complete opposite of what happened to us last year,” he added.
“The thing is to make sure we’re not overconfident in the playoffs because if we are, they have the opportunity to beat us like we did to them last year,” Rajala warned.
Meanwhile, the Muskie senior squad let another close one slip through their fingers.
Fort High (1-5) rallied back from a 2-1 deficit in their best-of-five showdown against the visiting Broncos (3-5), but ultimately lost by scores of 20-25, 25-23, 24-26, 25-21, and 7-15) to drop their fifth-straight NorWOSSA match.
“We gave it up in the fifth [set],” head coach Duane Roen said. “We had the momentum from the fourth [set] but they came out with some good serves and we hit a lot into the net and out.
“We gave them a seven- or eight-point lead,” he added. “We cannot serve into the net during a fifth [set].”
The loss marked the third time this season the senior Muskies have dropped a five-set match.
They lost a five-set marathon to the Dryden Eagles here back on Dec. 14 and then dropped a second five-setter just five days later to the Broncos up in Kenora.
Despite the fact his team has suffered three heart-breaking losses this season, Roen is confident the team can compete at the NorWOSSA playoffs next Thursday (Feb. 15) in Dryden.
“They know they can play better,” he said. “Physically we are ready and mentally we are getting there.
“The kids know they can beat these teams,” he added.
“Next Thursday we just have to play that way and if we do, we’ll have success.”
Both the junior and senior girls’ volleyball teams return to NorWOSSA action tomorrow (Feb. 8) when they travel to Dryden to face the Eagles.
Then they wrap up the regular season against those same Eagles here next Tuesday (Feb. 13) to make up matches cancelled last month due to inclement weather.