Brainerd beats Bemidji, advances

The No. 8-seeded Brainerd Warriors defeated the No. 9-seeded Bemidji Lumberjacks 3-1 in the Section 8-4A play-in on Monday, Oct. 26. The victory secures Brainerd's advancement to the quarterfinals. Five different players recorded eight or more kills in the match.

Paige Skoglund and Keeley Gondringer led the team with 11 kills each. Ruthie Owen added 10 kills. Gabby Bernander and Bella Goggleye finished with eight kills. Brainerd head coach Tana Johnson praised the balanced attack. "We were able to go to what we like to say pin-to-pin," Johnson said. "Everyone produced tonight and we love that."

Skoglund credited the coaching staff for directing the offense. "We wanted to put everything on the court," Skoglund said. "We went pin-to-pin and changed up our hitters a lot. Tana was telling us where to hit and it was working." Johnson noted that Skoglund utilized all of her offensive tools effectively during the game.

Goggleye started the match serving and helped Brainerd take the first six points. Bemidji tied the first set at 16-16 before the Warriors closed the set 25-19. The second set proved tighter. Bemidji led 17-13 before Brainerd rallied to tie the score at 21-21. The Lumberjacks won the set 25-21 to force a third set.

Brainerd established a 10-4 lead in the third set. Bemidji tied the score at 20-20 and took a 22-21 lead. The Warriors called a timeout to regroup. They won the final four points of the set, with Goggleye scoring the final kill. Goggleye also recorded 24 assists and 13 digs. She missed a portion of the regular season due to an injury.

The fourth set saw Bemidji take an early lead. Brainerd tied the score at 9-9 and led 15-12. Preslee Glynn served for the match at 24-17. Bemidji scored six consecutive points to narrow the gap to 24-23. A one-minute rally ended when a Bemidji hit attempt sailed out of bounds. The final score was 25-23 for Brainerd.

Brainerd will face the No. 1-seeded Alexandria Cardinals on Thursday, Oct. 29. The Cardinals defeated the Warriors 3-0 on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Johnson said the team will focus on blocking against Alexandria's tall hitters. Skoglund said the team will run faster drills to prepare for Alexandria's pace.