open with an 8-3 run ….

open with an 8-3 run that included a couple of kills from Fredrikson.

Medford faced head coach Kris Krug and her Merrill Blue Jays next. After an early 8-8 tie, it was all Merrill in set one, which ended at 25-13. Down 15-13 in game two, Medford went on another serving run by Paulson that included an ace and took an 18-15 lead. A point from Brehm and a Ruesch block helped the Raiders to go up 23-18, but Merrill stormed back with seven straight points to steal the set 25-23.

Wittenberg-Birnamwood was the first opponent in bracket play. The Raiders got out in front 7-3 in set one, but the Chargers scored eight straight to go ahead 117. Emma Brost served Medford back to an 11-11 tie, but the Chargers took off from there for a 25-18 win. Game two was back and forth most of the way. Fredrikson pounded two winners off blockers, Klapatauskas got a kill and Paulson served an ace as the Raiders went up 21-18, but a big block kill got Wittenberg-Birnamwood charged up again and it rallied for a 25-22 win to complete the sweep.

Against Marathon, a Brehm kill got Medford within 12-11 in game one and the Raiders eventually tied it at 16-16, but two Ava Krueger kills got Marathon rolling and it took the opener 25-19. Marathon tore out to an 18-8 lead in game two, but with both teams subbing liberally, the Raiders reserves led a run that got them back into it. Brunner hit a couple of tough serves and Hailey Fisher got a kill and a block kill at the net and Ruesch got a winner to roll over the net as Medford tied it at 23-23 and 24-24 but couldn’t quite get over the hump in a 26-24 loss.