Tale of ties culminates in victory for Beulah Miners
Nov. 8—DICKINSON — Emotional cries of celebration erupted from the Beulah Miners sideline Monday night at Trinity Catholic High School as they defeated the Hettinger-Scranton Night Hawks in the Region 7 volleyball quarterfinals 3-0.
The Beulah Miners are the no. 3 seed team in the Region and will face the no. 2 seed Glen Ullin-Hebron
Bearcats
in the semifinal round November 8.
Hettinger-Scranton played in one of their closest games all year, holding the Miners to a tie in every set.
"I'm so proud of how they played," Night Hawks head coach Reba Resner said. "It's sad for those seniors. It's the last time on the court for a bunch of them, but I think there was a lot of building that happened this season and that's great to see."
Resner said her team's biggest improvement since the start of the season has been their ability to grow, learn and work together. As a young team, several girls rose to the occasion and stepped into starting roles.
The Night Hawks biggest obstacle in the game was answering the hammer-fist kills of Beulah's 5'9" outside hitter Jenna Koppelsloen. Miners middle hitter Shea Barron was also a threat at the net. With her 6'1" height and long reach, she put up towering blocks that were tough for Hettinger to break through.
"They have two or three hitters that can get ahold of it," Resner said. "Our hitters were a little slow this evening and that was the biggest battle."
Hettinger-Scranton led set one for a few moments before Beulah quickly tied the score. In the first set alone, the score was tied seven times and the lead changed hands back and forth frequently.
The Night Hawks occasional shots out of bounds and spikes that hit the net gave Beulah easy points that added up. Hettinger-Scranton fell behind by five points and couldn't close the gap fast enough.
The second set was just as close as the first. The score tied early at 5-5 before Hettinger-Scranton hopped into a 2-point lead. Laela Jensen put up consistent kills for the Hawks. Ella Jensen and Chloe Geaumont were also solid point contributors for Hettinger-Scranton. Geaumont reached her 1,000th career assist in the game.
Set three was a nail-biting clash. Every kill the Miners made, the Hawks answered. Continued shots out of bounds by the Miners gave free points to the Night Hawks. Beulah visibly lost confidence and calmness when the Hawks picked up a 4-point lead near the close of the set. A combination of failed serves and out of bounds shots brought Hettinger-Scranton out of the lead as time depleted.
Beulah def. Hettinger-Scranton 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-21)
Team Leaders HS: Kills — 12, Laela Jensen; Aces — 1, Ella Jensen; Blocks — 1, Jozee Erickson; Digs — 17, Ella Jensen; Assists — 32, Chloe Geaumont
Quarterfinal results:
Trinity def. Hazen 3-0 (25-8, 25-10, 25-8)
Bowman County def. New England 3-1 (25-20,25-15, 18-25, 25-18)
Glen Ullin-Hebron def. Richardton-Taylor 3-0 (25-11,25-15, 25-18)
