What we learned from top-ranked Warner's four-set volleyball win over No. 2 Northwestern

MELLETTE -- The atmosphere and competition were as expected Thursday night as Class B No. 1 Warner downed second-ranked Northwestern, 25-14, 28-30, 25-16, 25-17 in high school volleyball action in Mellette.

The Wildcats are one of just two teams to take a set against Warner this season, but the Monarchs used a strong net presence and great serving to move to 10-0 this fall. 

Here are four takeaways from Thursday night.

Warner has many weapons

Warner has weapons all over the court, and it showed. 

Kyra Marcuson was 40 of 47 attacking with 17 kills, and Lauren Marcuson was 30 of 40 on the attack with 17 kills. While Northwestern defended well at the net, the Marcuson sisters regularly took big, effective swings.

Libby Scepaniak was 23 of 23 serving for the Monarchs with two aces. Ava Nilsson was 19 of 20 serving with two aces and made good on 117 of 120 sets with 46 assists.

Courtney Bjorgaard led Warner with 29 digs.

In other words, there's no margin for error against Warner.

Coach Kari Jung said the Monarchs tried to stay aggressive on the serve so the Wildcats couldn't get big swings. The fact that Warner has so many weapons took pressure off of the outside hitters, she said.

Northwestern's Game 2 win should be helpful

Northwestern coach Norah Groft was pleased with the way her squad played said taking a set off the top-ranked team in the Class B is significant.

The Wildcats had great blocking at the net and made some adjustments to score some points, she said.

Just wen it looked like Northwestern was going to polish off the second game with a few points to spare, Warner pushed back. A kill by Kyra Marcuson tied the game at 24, and the teams traded points until a Wildcat hit couldn't be returned to end a thrilling game 30-28. The Northwestern student section roared in approval.

Runs were important

Over the course of the match, Warner was able to more consistently put together runs of three, four or five points to build leads.

In Game 4, for instance, the Monarchs took four straight points to make it 5-1. After the Wildcats trimmed the Warner lead to 8-7, Warner again reeled off four straight points to push the lead to 12-7. And with the score 14-10, Scepaniak served four straight points to make it 18-10. The deficit was too much for the Wildcats to overcome.

The rivalry remains strong

The two schools, just 10 miles away, have been rivals for decades, particularly in volleyball as the Monarchs and Wildcats have been the best Class B teams for what seems like an eternity. The last time one of the two squads didn't win the state title was in 2015, when Warner fell to Chester Area in the championship match.

All of that success was on display Thursday as the gym was full of talent, fans and energy. Warner won, but the Wildcats showed why they remain a top team in the state.

Neither team shows signs of fading in the years to come. Lauren Marcuson and Kyra Marcuson, both outside hitters, are just juniors for Warner.

The Monarchs are the defending state champs and a squad with plenty of big-match experience. Northwestern's roster, meanwhile, has lots of eighth-graders, freshmen and sophomores.

Groft said the set the Wildcats won helps build that big-match experience the Wildcats lack. She said Ella Boekelheide had a great night blocking and helped keep Northwestern in the match. Jung said Warner had to find away to work around the Wildcats' strong blocking.

Boekelheide was 10 for 10 serving with an ace and had 12 digs for the Wildcats. As usual, Ella Haven was also a top contributor. She was 13 of 14 serving with an ace, 56 of 64 on the attack with 17 kills, eight of eight setting with three assists and had 18 digs.

Northwestern in now 5-3 on the season with two of the losses coming against the Monarchs.

Scoreboard for Thursday, Sept. 8

High school volleyball

Thursday

Aberdeen Roncalli def. Groton Area, 25-18, 25-20, 25-19

Bridgewater-Emery def. Irene-Wakonda, 25-14, 25-22, 19-25, 25-21

Canton def. Elk Point-Jefferson, 18-25, 25-11, 25-18, 22-25, 15-5

Chester def. Baltic, 25-22, 25-13, 25-13

Dell Rapids def. Tea Area, 25-7, 25-21, 25-15

Deuel def. Britton-Hecla, 25-17, 25-19, 25-19

Edgemont def. Guernsey-Sunrise, Wyo., 25-12, 25-7, 25-18

Elkton-Lake Benton def. Oldham-Ramona/Rutland, 25-7, 25-16, 25-21

Ethan def. Menno, 18-25, 25-15, 25-21, 25-23

Faulkton def. Potter County, 29-27, 25-22, 25-21

Freeman def. Gayville-Volin, 26-24, 24-26, 25-18, 25-18

Garretson def. Beresford, 25-18, 25-19, 25-21

Hamlin def. Milbank, 25-21, 19-25, 15-25, 27-25, 15-11

Harrisburg def. Mitchell, 25-12, 25-14, 25-9

Howard def. Sioux Falls Lutheran, 25-19, 23-25, 25-11, 25-19

Ipswich def. Sunshine Bible Academy, 25-14, 25-7, 25-9

James Valley Christian def. Corsica/Stickney, 25-17, 25-23, 25-21

Kadoka Area def. Wall, 25-22, 25-14, 25-15

Madison def. Lennox, 25-17, 26-28, 25-22, 25-21

McCook Central/Montrose def. Garretson, 13-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-20

North Central Co-Op def. McLaughlin, 25-19, 25-8, 25-19

Platte-Geddes def. Bon Homme, 25-17, 25-12, 25-19

Rapid City Christian def. Hill City, 25-19, 25-14, 25-21

Redfield def. Sisseton, 25-19, 25-12, 21-25, 25-12

Scotland def. Freeman Academy/Marion, 25-10, 25-14, 25-11

Sioux Falls Christian def. West Central, 25-10, 25-16, 25-18

Sioux Falls Jefferson def. Sioux Falls Lincoln, 26-24, 25-23, 25-23

St. Mary's, Neb. def. Burke, 26-24, 15-25, 23-25, 29-27, 15-13

Tripp-Delmont/Armour def. Kimball/White Lake, 23-25, 27-25, 25-19, 25-15

Wagner def. Gregory, 25-10, 25-14, 25-15

Warner def. Northwestern, 25-14, 28-30, 25-16, 25-17

Waubay/Summit def. Waverly-South Shore, 25-17, 30-32, 25-12, 20-25, 15-9

Webster def. Clark/Willow Lake, 27-25, 25-13, 25-21

Wolsey-Wessington def. Hitchcock-Tulare, 25-17, 25-10, 25-13

Timber Lake vs. Herreid/Selby Area, postponed.

High school cross-country

Thursday

Potter County Invitational

Boys team scores: 1. Frederick Area 15, 2.Standing Rock 25, 3.McLaughlin 32,  4.Potter County 38, 5. North Central48, 6. Crow Creek 57, 7.Herreid/Selby Area 67.

Boys top five finishers: 1. Nicholas Schlachter, Potter County, 17:14.37; 2. Lance Bradley, Standing Rock, 17:18.89; 3. Jayden Taken Alive, McLaughlin, 18:10.47; 4. Milo Sumption, Frederick Area, 18:27.6; 5. Johnathan Bretsch, Frederick Area, 18:49.18.

Girls team scores: 1 .Potter County 8, 2. Frederick Area 16, 3.North Central 35.

Top five girls finishers: 1. Heidi Olson, Mobridge Pollock, 19:31; 2. Dannika Kaup, Potter County, 20:21; 3. Morgan Sumption, Frederick Area, 20:41; 4. Jadyn Ahlemeier, Potter County, 21:02; 5. Emma Schlachter, Potter County, 21:14.