Muskies spiked in semis

The Muskie senior girls’ volleyball team lost to the host Dryden Eagles in the semi-finals of the Santa Claus Classic over the weekend.
The black-and-gold got off to a slow start in round-robin play, losing in straight sets to both the St. Thomas Aquinas Saints (Kenora) and Westgate Tigers (Thunder Bay).
But they rebounded to win their next three matches in straight sets against the Sioux Lookout Warriors, Hammarskjold Vikings (Thunder Bay), and the Eagles’ junior squad.
The Muskies’ 3-2 record left them in a three-way tie for second place. But Fort High ended up in fourth place based on point differential—setting up a quarter-final match-up against the Red Lake Rams, which they won in straight sets.
The Eagles proved to be too much for the Muskies to handle, though, as they swept the black-and-gold in straight sets to advance to the final.
The setback marked the second time in three days that Eagles had emerged victorious over the Muskies, having beaten them 25-17, 25-17, and 25-19 in NorWOSSA action on Thursday in Dryden.
Muskie coach Duane Roen said his team was solid defensively, but could not generate an effective offensive attack versus the Eagles.
In related news, the Muskie junior girls’ volleyball team also fell to 1-1 in NorWOSSA play when they lost 25-15, 25-4, and 25-15 to the host Eagles on Thursday.
“This is the reality we face,” head coach Jeff Rajala remarked. “We compete with the Broncos [Kenora] and chase the Eagles all season.”
Both Muskie squads will be looking to avenge their early-season losses to the Eagles when they face Dryden here this Thursday (Dec. 14).