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Wolverines keep Huskies running in 3-0 sweep

Wadena-Deer Creek next travels to Sebeka at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 19.

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Senior Ashley Lepinski hurls the ball toward the Pillager opponents Thursday, Oct. 14, in Wadena. Michael Johnson/Pioneer Journal

WADENA — The Wadena-Deer Creek girl’s volleyball team swept the Pillager Huskies 3-0 in their final home game of the regular season.

Senior Lauryn Gravelle threw the dagger for the Wolverines, ending the game with a kill to bring the final score of 25-21 in set three. It was one of seven kills for the senior.

Her sister Payton Gravelle locked in 10 kills, while Addyson Gravelle knocked in two kills, three aces and 32 set assists.

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Addyson Gravelle (right) celebrates a score along with teammates Jenna Dykhoff and Lauryn Gravelle. Michael Johnson/Pioneer Journal

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Senior Ashley Lepinski was also dominant for WDC, recording six kills and 15 digs. Montana Carsten in libero notched 10 digs.

In the first set, W-DC had a few runs early on, with 4 straight points after a 4-4 tie, followed by 4 more straight points after a 10-5 lead. The Wolverines explosive offense forced the Huskies to call a timeout down 14-5. That pause in the game evened the playing field, with each team scoring 5 points to put the scoreboard at 19-10. However, W-DC continued their dominance heading into the second set with a 25-13 win.

Freshman Addyson Gravelle came out of the first set’s huddle with a bang, kicking the ball off the tip of her shoe to begin set 2. The second set was a near mirror of the first one, with both teams sharing the scoreboard throughout.

Early on, Pillager took their second timeout of the night down 7-4 but what followed was a tug of war between both teams. W-DC kicked into another gear with the help of senior Ashley Lepinski who had two kills on non-consecutive plays to give the team a 21-16 advantage.

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Senior Summer Pettit gets under a serve from Pillager, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, in Wadena. Michael Johnson/Pioneer Journal

After an out of bounds call on the Wolverines, Pillager responded with three points of their own bringing the score to 22-19. However, W-DC fought their way to a 25-20 final score for set two.

With a 2-0 lead, the Wolverines were looking to seal the deal. Pillager, however, wasn’t surrendering too easy. The third set went down to the wire, and W-DC executed their ball-distributing well.

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Four girls shared in kills in the final set, starting with Ashley Lepinski to give the girls a 4-3 lead. Payton Gravelle put the Wolverines up three, slicing the ball through the Huskies defense.

Later on in the set, Payton Gravelle hurled the ball over the net giving her team a 1-point lead. Down 3 points and heading into the final stretch, the Huskies called their last timeout hoping to find a way to comeback. They would fall short. The Huskies continue their eight-game losing streak.

With the girls having a hot hand of the volleyball, Coach Sue Volkmann has her sights on what’s important.

“We still have a couple of games left,” Volkmann said. “Kind of play out the season and they always say the tournament’s are a new season so, hopefully we’ll have a little bit of momentum going into it to try and iron out a few things before then.”

Heading into the next game against Sebeka, the Wolverines will be short two girls who are out with an injury.

“Maddie Carsten will be out for the year. Katrina Moench might be out for the rest of the year, but… you deal with those things.”

With two girls down, the team is finding a rhythm and gaining chemistry with every minute played.

Wadena-Deer Creek statistics
Addyson Gravelle 2 kills, 6 digs, 3 aces, 1 block, 32 set assists
Ashley Lepinski 6 kills, 15 digs
Payton Gravelle 10 kills
Montana Carsten 10 digs
Kaylin Lupkes 6 digs, 3 aces, 1 kill
Emily Lepinski 1 kill
Jenna Dykhoff 2 kills, 2 digs
Summer Pettit 7 kills, 2 digs, 2 aces
Lauryn Gravelle 7 kills, 2 digs, 3 aces
Kayla Kircher 6 digs
Conference: WDC 3-3. Overall: WDC 8-10.

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