Nationals berth eludes Hyatt

The gnashing of Allison Hyatt’s teeth could be heard all the way up here.
The former Muskie volleyball star saw her freshman season with the Rainy River Community College Voyageurs come to what was a bitterly frustrating end for her in a 3-1 loss to the host Central Lakes College Raiders in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XIII-B championship Saturday afternoon in Brainerd, Mn.
“Going into the game, everyone was pumped and ready to play . . . our confidence was unbelievable,” recalled Hyatt, who registered 21 digs in the match at the libero position in a reflection of her season, where she finished in the top 15 nationally in Division III of the NJCAA in digs per game.
“But when we got into the game, I don’t know what happened. It was like part of the team didn’t want to play, or didn’t think we could do it, or just didn’t want it enough,” she noted.
“It was veterans and first-year players [alike].
“Central Lakes deserved it because their whole team wanted it,” added Hyatt. “It’s very frustrating, especially when you know you can beat a team.”
The Raiders move on to the nationals later this month in Rochester, Mn. while Hyatt and the Voyageurs were left to think about what might have been.
Having lost three of four matches to the Raiders this season, including the semi-final match of the Minnesota Community College Conference tournament the previous weekend, a quick start was paramount to the Voyageurs’ success.
Instead, the Raiders grabbed a one-game lead with a 30-19 win to put Rainy River—which had finished 24-9 on the season—behind the eight ball.
The second set saw the Voyageurs vault into a 21-10 lead, only to give it all back before pulling out a 32-30 decision to even the best-of-five contest.
“After the second, we knew we could do it,” said Hyatt. “We just had to win the next one, and then there would only be one more and we were heading to nationals.”
The Raiders steadied themselves, though, to take the third set 30-18, pushing the Voyageurs to the brink. In the fourth, Rainy River jumped out to a 5-0 lead, only to watch Central Lakes claw their way back yet again.
Only this time, there would be no holding on as the Raiders carried their momentum to a 30-24 win to clinch the match.
“Central Lakes was hitting and tipping well, and their middle hitter played a really good game,” remarked Hyatt. “But they weren’t doing anything that spectacular. They didn’t beat us, we beat ourselves.”
While admitting the premature ending of the season for a team that finished second at the nationals last year hasn’t completely sunk in yet, Hyatt said the setback has her champing at the bit for next season already.
And when it rolls around, she guarantees the team’s attitude will undergo a transformation.
“I want this so bad, but it’s going to take everyone working hard together,” Hyatt stressed, with a clear tone of determination in her voice.
“I hope this group can respond and do what it takes to get to the next level,” she added. “If things don’t improve, they’re going to have a couple of mad sophomores on their hands.”
Still, Hyatt is satisfied with her inaugural college season, especially with how she adapted from being a front-line power hitter with the Muskies to handling the back row responsibilities of a libero player, where she was assigned due to her height disadvantage.
“I’m proud of myself, and did as much as I could do as a back row player to help motivate my team,” she said. “Getting used to libero was new for me, especially after being used to hitting all the time.”
The last spike of the season symbolized not only an ending but a new beginning for Hyatt, who now will shift her focus to the basketball court as a member of the Voyageurs’ women’s hoops team.
“I’d been talking to the basketball coach over there [International Falls] since last year when I was coming over here for volleyball,” said Hyatt, who played guard for the Muskies in her high school days.
“The coach asked me why didn’t I come on out and play. I decided a couple of weeks ago that I would.”
The Voyageurs begin basketball practice this week, with their regular season starting later this month.