MEDFORD VOLLEYBALL - Close ones get away on day one; Medford finishes 26th at Sprawl

MEDFORD VOLLEYBALL

After a 1-3 finish in Friday’s pool play, the best Medford’s volleyball team could do Saturday was a 25th-place finish in the 40team Menomonie Sprawl and the Raiders almost did that.

The Raiders defeated Menomonie and Cochrane-Fountain City to get to the 25thplace match against Baldwin-Woodville. The Blackhawks won the first set 25-16, Medford came back with a 25-22 win in game two and then Baldwin-Woodville ended the long weekend of volleyball with a 15-13 win in the deciding third set.

Medford’s 3-4 weekend at UW-Stout puts the team at 8-4 overall as it opens Great Northern Conference play tonight, Thursday, by hosting Antigo at 7 p.m. at Raider Hall.

Kayla Baumgartner had eight kills, Shayla Radlinger had five and Toryn Rau added four in the final match against Baldwin-Woodville. Laney Hraby had a team-high eight digs, Finley Arndt had seven assists while Megan Schaefer had four. Radlinger had the team’s lone solo block.

Medford didn’t win that three-set match but it did take an exciting three-setter with Cochrane-Fountain City 15-25, 25-15, 15-11. The Raiders served at a 92.2% success rate in that match (59 of 64) with five aces, including two each from Radlinger and Baumgartner. Radlinger was 13 for 13 and Aliyah Pilgrim was 11 for 11 in serving.

Schaefer had 10 assists and Arndt had seven in the win. Baumgartner had eight kills and Radlinger had three kills and a solo block. Rylee Hraby led the team with nine digs. Pilgrim had five.

Medford started Saturday with a 25-6, 2517 win over Menomonie. Rau and Baumgartner had nine kills apiece. Radlinger had three with two solo blocks. Schaefer and Pilgrim each had two of Medford’s seven aces. Schaefer had seven assists and Arndt had four.

Friday started out on a good note as the Raiders earned their second win of the week over Columbus Catholic. They took down the Dons 25-21, 25-23, getting six kills from Baumgartner, five from Rau, four from Amelia Pernsteiner, four from Radlinger and three from Kailyn Haenel. Haenel and Radlinger each had two solo blocks. Haenel was involved in three block kills.

Schaefer had eight assists and Arndt had seven. Baumgartner added six digs.

But three losses after that ruined the Raiders’ chances of getting into the top 16 and Saturday’s championship bracket.

Match two for the day was a close three-set loss to Grantsburg. The Pirates won 26-24, 16-25, 15-12. Medford got seven kills apiece from Radlinger, Rau and Baumgartner. Arndt had 10 assists and three aces and Schaefer had seven assists and three aces. The Raiders were 56 of 56 in serving, but all of that wasn’t quite enough.

In another tough three-set match, Eau Claire North beat Medford 25-13, 25-27, 15-8. The Raiders were strong at the net defensively getting 14 total blocks. Haenel and Rau had two solo blocks each. Taylor Klingbeil and Baumgartner were also credited with two block kills each. Baumgartner, Rau and Radlinger had four spike kills each.

Rylee Hraby had nine digs. Schaefer had six assists and Arndt had three.

The match Medford really wanted was its last one of the day against St. Croix Falls, a team that is in Medford’s WIAA Division 2 regional bracket. The Saints won a tight first set 25-23 and then closed out the sweep 25-16 to end the day.

Baumgartner had four kills, Radlinger and Rau had three each. Radlinger had two solo blocks.

Eau Claire North went 4-0 Friday and won the pool, while Grantsburg was 3-1, St. Croix Falls was 2-2 and Columbus Catholic went 04. Eau Claire North tied for fifth overall and Grantsburg tied for 11th while making the top 16.

Big Rivers Conference rivals Hudson and River Falls met in the championship and Hudson came away with a 25-20, 25-13 win.

Lakeland, who Medford will host Tuesday in GNC play, made the top 16 and tied for 13th in the final standings.