Lady Spartans Finish as Runners-Up in Region 13A

The Rochester Yellowjackets claimed the NJCAA Division III Region 13A volleyball title on Saturday with a 3-1 (26-28, 25-17, 25-13, 25-20) victory over the M State Lady Spartans. 

"We knew going into this match it was going to be against some great competition," said head volleyball coach Abby Crowser. "With Rochester currently ranked at #3 in the nation and with us being #6, it wasn't going to be an easy win for either team. Taking the first set was a great way to start off, but early runs by Rochester in the 2nd and 3rd set were hard to make comebacks from. We started to really pull together and play well towards the end of the 4th set, but just came up a bit short. You never want to lose a game, but when you give your best effort, you can walk away knowing you gave it your all and keep your head up. I'm so thankful for the wonderful leadership my sophomores Kassandra Algarate, Katie Merrick and Lexus Noyes provided for the team this year and know that with the majority of our freshman returning next year, we will continue to have a strong volleyball program." 

M State was led by Hannah Ekse (14 kills, 3 blocks, 6 digs), Algarate (11 kills, 10 digs, 14/14 serving, 1 ace), Megan Dreger (7 kills, 2 blocks), Sydney Hovland (5 kills, 3 blocks, 35 set assists, 11 digs, 15/15 serving, 1 ace), Mia Greenman (15 digs, 14/16 serving, 2 aces), Taylor Berndt (13 digs, 9/11 serving, 1 ace), Corina Mark (15 digs, 14/14 serving, 2 aces), Katie Merrick (3 kills, 2 blocks, 5 digs) and Alexa Mortenson (7 kills, 2 digs). 

M State finished with a record of 19 wins and 8 losses.

Courtesy of Craig Olson Sports