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SECTION 3A VOLLEYBALL: No. 2 Panthers cruise past No. 7 Eagles in three sets

Photo by Jake Przytarski TMB’s Catherine Wendland goes up for a kill during their Section 3A tournament match against No. 7 SWC on Friday. The Panthers defeated the Eagles 3-0.

TRACY — Prior to Friday’s Section 3A matchup against Southwest Minnesota Christian, it had been nearly a week since the Tracy-Milroy-Balaton volleyball team had last competed in a match.

Despite the long layoff, the second-seeded Panthers came out firing on all cylinders in set one and managed to fend off a strong push by the upset-minded Eagles in sets two and three to earn a hard-fought sweep.

TMB coach Rick Haberman said the team was anxious to get back on the court and compete in front of their home fans.

“We wanted to come out strong and I thought we really did in the first set,” said Haberman. “We haven’t played in a week and in volleyball that seems like a long time. They were hungry to get back on the court, especially at home.”

The team’s excitement was evident in the early goings of set one as the Panthers seized the momentum by taking a 16-4 lead thanks to an 11-1 run. TMB kept its foot on the gas down the stretch and went on to clinch the first set with a kill by Catherine Wendland to secure a 25-14 victory.

The Eagles were quick to put the lopsided finish to the previous set behind them in set two by flipping the momentum to their favor with an early 9-4 lead. SWC continued to get the better of the play midway through the set and held a 15-7 advantage before Haberman called timeout to regroup.

The break proved effective as the Panthers went on a crucial 6-0 run guided by Maddi Langerock at the service line to make it 16-13. TMB went on to take its first lead of the set at 18-17 following a kill by Wendland before SWC tied the score again at 18. The two teams continued to battle late and exchanged leads three times before an Amber Hensch kill gave the Panthers a 25-23 win in set two.

Haberman said the key to their comeback was playing more freely out of the timeout.

“Once it got to 15-7, I really liked our grit and out determination. It just seemed like we started playing more free after that point and I’m not sure why but I give our kids credit,” said Haberman. “We didn’t give up, we didn’t give in and we kept fighting and were able to come back.”

The back and forth pace continued in set three as the two teams traded leads four times before TMB took hold of a one-point advantage at 10-9 and refused to relinquish it the rest of the way through. The Panthers created separation after the close start with a 9-1 run that put them within striking distance of match point at 19-10. TMB went on to take the match 3-0 with a 25-15 win in set three.

With the victory, the Panthers advance to the quarterfinals where they will take on No. 6 seed Murray County Central on Tuesday in Worthington at 7:15 p.m.

TMB 3, SWC 0

TMB 25 25 25

SWC 14 23 15

KILLS: TMB (Lessman 10, K. Hensch 9, Wendland 6).

DIGS: TMB (Dolan 13, Langerock 8, Holland 7).

SERVING (Aces): TMB (Langerock 4, Przybilla 2, Lessman 1, Wendland 1, A. Hensch 1).

SET ASSISTS: TMB (Langerock 31).

BLOCKS: TMB (Wendland 2, K. Hensch 2, Danielson 1).

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