Honkers take 2nd in state volleyball

By Caroline Downs

Led by two seniors, a young Honkers team soared into the championship round of the 2006 Class B State Volleyball tournament Saturday night. They faced an older Hillsboro squad that had not only upset, but swept 3-0, the Tioga Pirates with Senior Athlete of the Year Abby Bratlien in the semi-finals.

"They have good blockers and a good middle hitter," said KHS senior Kaitlyn Nelson, who shared the team captain’s role with senior Cassie Reid. "They have to be good to beat Tioga."

In the end, after five marathon games and over 100 minutes of play, Kenmare went down at 2-3 for the match.

The Honkers took the first game 25-23, then posted scores of 15-25, 26-24, 28-30 and 9-15.

With three sections of Kenmare fans cheering at top volume, the first three points of the first game went to Hillsboro as the Honkers found their place on the court. Kenmare crept back to a 5-5 tie before starting a scoring run of eight points coming off Reid serves. That run included three aces from Reid that prompted a time-out from the Burros and roars from the Kenmare crowd.

The Honkers kept the momentum and the lead until they hit a wall at game point 24-15, when Hillsboro fired off eight points of their own and erased the margin to a single digit. KHS head coach Tim Wallstrum called two timeouts during the Burros’ march, and the Honkers finally scored the final point they needed for the victory.

Hillsboro didn’t take kindly to the loss, and went up 11-4 in the second game as they controlled the court with hard hitting and a wall of blockers at the net. Kenmare came within seven points at 9-16 on a kill by Keri Nelson, but Hillsboro posted the win and guaranteed at least four games for the fans.

The third game started in the Honkers’ favor on a Keri Nelson kill. The Burros answered back to tie it at 1-1, then Kenmare edged ahead 2-1 on another Nelson kill, and so the scoring continued through nine ties and four lead changes. Several plays showcased the Honkers’ best moves, with a deceptive tap from Kendra Miller and a stunning block from substitute Katelynn Gregoire, as well as multiple kills from Keri Nelson, Reid and Steph Barnhart, who spiked game point.

The crowd was still roaring as the serve opened the fourth game at 9:50 pm, with Kenmare again dropping to 0-3 before a kill from Barnhart put the Honkers on the scoreboard. The action was nearly a repeat of the third contest, only longer with 13 ties.

The Honkers trailed until a Barnhart kill tied them at 11. Then Kaleen Schmit’s ace bumped Kenmare ahead for the first time in the game, with their best lead at 17-13 following three consecutive hits from Keri Nelson.

From there, each team fought point by point. A Hillsboro spike that bounced off one Honkers’ hands would be chased down and returned to play by a teammate, while a Kenmare hit that would have scored against most teams would be sent back across the net for another volley. A Burros’ error sent one ball out-of-bounds at 28-28, but Hillsboro scored the next two points to take the game and set up the final meeting.

With both sets of fans on their feet, the fifth game began with the Burros making the first point. However, Kenmare came back with kills from Keri Nelson and Schmit to stay competitive through an 8-8 tie. Then, the momentum turned as Hillsboro scored four unanswered points.

The Honkers managed another point, but the Burros controlled the net and pounded down the balls on their way to claiming the winners’ trophy.

"The girls played with so much heart," Wallstrum said as his team wiped their tears and jogged across the court to congratulate the Burros. "They didn’t let them have it." He shook his head. "Hillsboro’s a good team."

He admitted to some surprise when the Burros defeated the Pirates in semi-finals play. "They crushed Tioga," he said. "I thought, ‘We have our work cut out for us,’ but the girls didn’t let us down. They fought hard the whole way."

Wallstrum gave credit to the Kenmare fans, too. "Oh man, what a crowd!" he said. "We have the whole town here, and we gave them something fun to watch!"

Reid also acknowledged the Honkers’ following. "It’s not just the team that’s on the floor," she said. "It’s our ‘whole town’ team. Without them, we wouldn’t have gotten here."

Like her teammates, she hadn’t seen Hillsboro play until the semi-finals match the previous night. "They were better than I thought they would have been," she said, adding she was shocked to watch Tioga’s defeat.

She wasn’t happy about the Honkers’ defeat, either, but she was proud of her team’s work. "We were in the state championship," she said. "You couldn’t ask for a better game."

Despite all the hype and ceremony of the tournament, Kaitlyn Nelson’s favorite part of the event centered on the Honkers. "The best thing has been playing with my team for the last time in volleyball," she said. "I love these girls!"

She asked Kenmare volleyball fans to continue their support and encouragement for a team that could threaten a return trip to the state tournament. "Thanks for coming out and watching us," she said. "You helped get us here, but there’s a lot of good girls coming up!"

No specific team stats were made available from Saturday’s championship, although the Minot Daily News reported seven aces for Reid in the first game, which broke the championship-match record of four aces, and 22 kills for Keri Nelson..

In the rest of Saturday’s matches, Lisbon beat Edgeley-Kulm for 7th place, Langdon defeated Flasher for 5th, and Tioga took third place after topping Dickinson Trinity.

Cassie Reid, Keri Nelson and Kendra Miller were named to the Class B state tournament All-Tournament Team for Kenmare. They were joined by Ashley Haines and Kendra Leidholm of Hillsboro, Stephanie Feiring and Abby Bratlein of Tioga, Kayla Boespflug of Dickinson Trinity, Taylor Hart of Langdon, Christy Gabrielson of Flasher, Carol Hollingsworth of Edgeley-Kulm, and Katherin Anderson of Lisbon.

Semi-finals
The Honkers sent immediate notice to Dickinson Trinity in the semi-finals round, with Kelsey Miller serving five straight points and Kendra Miller performing one of several fake sets that added points to Kenmare’s side of the scoreboard before the Titans called a time-out in the opening game.

Their strategic planning didn’t matter. The Honkers dominated at the net, with everything from kills and blocks from the front row to the final point, coming on another false assist from Kendra Miller that dropped in the midst of a group of surprised Titans.

The second game required more patience, from both the players and the fans. The two teams exchanged point for point and tied 11 times before Kenmare went ahead 23-19 and maintained the lead to win by four points.

In the longest contest of the night, Kaitlyn Nelson talked her team through each play. "We tried to stay calm," Nelson said. "We had to keep the girls’ heads up, no matter what happened."

The third contest was all about the Honkers as Kenmare took an 8-0 advantage before Dickinson Trinity scored a point. Two sections filled with maroon and gold-clad fans roared at a block, then a kill, then a tip as Kenmare’s score flashed an ever-increasing point total.

Within a few minutes, Kendra Miller served game point at 24-14 while the Kenmare fans cheered on their feet and Keri Nelson’s kill sent the Honkers to the state championship.

Kenmare claimed the match 3-0 with game scores of 25-14, 25-21 and 25-14.

Keri Nelson had 11 kills for the match, followed by Kendra Miller with 7, Reid 6, and Kelsey Miller 5.

Kendra Miller logged 22 assists for the night.

From the serving line, Kelsey Miller fired 3 aces.

At the net, Keri Nelson and Schmit were credited with 2 blocks each.

Kaitlyn Nelson was relentless in the back row with 30 digs, followed by Kendra Miller with 16 and Schmit with 14.

"We set a goal," Kaitlyn Nelson said about her young teammates after the match. "We wanted to make it to this point. It’s amazing! This is where we wanted to be!"

Reid echoed Nelson’s sentiments, as well as her prediction the Honkers would face Tioga. "I want to play Tioga," she said, grinning, "ever since they beat us."

She also praised Kenmare’s fans. "I’m proud of them right now," she said as she smiled and nodded at the kids and adults who stopped to congratulate her on the team’s win. "Even if they just come for one night. It means the community is supporting us. I really do appreciate it!"

In Friday’s other matches, Hillsboro surprised Tioga 3-0 to advance to the championship. In consolation play, Langdon downed Edgeley-Kulm 3-0 and Flasher beat Lisbon 3-2.

Opening round
Kenmare opened tournament play Thursday afternoon with a decisive sweep of Edgeley-Kulm, 3-0. Game scores were 25-12, 25-18 and 25-15.

The Rebels managed a short lead at the beginning of each game, but the Honkers owned the court, pounding down more than 30 kills while holding E-K to 16.

Kenmare demonstrated a balanced offensive attack. Keri Nelson had 9 kills, followed by Reid with 8, Schmit 5, Kelsey Miller 4, and Barnhart 4. Kendra Miller set up 27 assists, while Schmit stepped up for 2.

At the net, Keri Nelson was credited with 4 blocks, while Barnhart and Schmit had 1 apiece.

Kaitlyn Nelson served 4 aces, while Reid had 3 and Keri Nelson 2.

The Honkers were strong in the back row, too, with Schmit diving for 12 digs, followed by Kendra Miller and Kaitlyn Nelson with 9 each and Kelsey Miller with 6.

In other first round action, Dickinson Trinity defeated Langdon 3-2, Hillsboro beat Flasher 3-1, and Tioga topped Lisbon 3-0.