MEDFORD VOLLEYBALL - Three GNC wins put volleyball team in second place at the turn

MEDFORD VOLLEYBALL

The Medford Raiders put a rough outing at Mosinee a week earlier in the rearview mirror and hit the halfway point of Great Northern Conference play on a three-match winning streak, capped Tuesday by 3-0 sweep over visiting Northland Pines.

The Eagles, who fell to 0-6 in GNC play, got out to a 5-1 lead in the first set, but things changed quickly after Finley Arndt set up Kayla Baumgartner for a deep tip and then a big kill to tie it at 6-6. Baumgartner got another kill for a sideout at 7-7. With Megan Schaefer serving, the Raiders scored 13 more points to go up 207 and controlled the match from there.

Now 5-1 in league play, the Raiders sit in second place, a game behind 6-0 Mosinee, who they will see again in the Oct. 12 GNC meet at Medford Area Middle School.

“We played well, we looked good and had fun,” Medford head coach Ashley Jochimsen-McCarron said. “It was nice to get that win.”

Baumgartner led Medford with 10 attack kills, but that first set turned when both she and middle Taylor Klingbeil rotated into the front row. Klingbeil had a solid night with six kills, two block kills and another solo block.

“Pines took a set from Antigo and took Tomahawk to five games Saturday,” Jochimsen-McCarron said. “They started off hitting hard. We put two big blockers in the middle and that seemed to slow them down. We executed well, we ran some nice plays. We used Taylor a lot and Taylor came out strong.”

In the big run that opened up game one, Aliyah Pilgrim dug up a tough ball that led to a Baumgartner kill at 9-7. Schaefer served two aces. After the Eagles finally got two points to make it 20-9, Schaefer set up Klingbeil for a big kill. Pernsteiner got back-to-back blocks and she got a kill to close out the opener at 25-9.

Medford broke game two open behind a serving run from its other setter Finley Arndt as a 12-9 lead ballooned to 18-9. Medford won that set 25-18. The Raiders gradually built a comfortable lead in game three. Down 5-3 early, Arndt set up Baumgartner for a kill, Klingbeil got an easy push off an Eagle overpass, Schaefer’s bump set got Baumgartner a kill, Schaefer set Klingbeil for a kill, Pernsteiner tooled a blocker, Schaefer served a deep ace and Pernsteiner set Baumgartner up for a shot off a blocker for a 10-5 lead. The lead stayed in the five- to seven-point range until a couple of Eagle errors and a Shayla Radlinger kill off an Arndt assist ended the game and match at 25-18 Radlinger had six kills, Toryn Rau had five and Pernsteiner had three. Medford had just four errors in 74 serves (94.6%) and Schaefer had four of the team’s six aces while going 27 for 27. Pilgrim was 12 for 12.

Arndt had 15 assists while Schaefer had 13. Rylee Hraby had 15 digs and Pilgrim had five.

Along with the official ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating new-look Raider Hall and Youth Night, the match also served as Medford’s fundraising night for cancer research. In total $1,315.48 was raised through raffles and the miracle minute.

Now 15-8 overall, the Raiders will enjoy a week off before heading to Wausau East Tuesday for a non-conference matchup with the Lumberjacks. Medford returns to GNC play at Rhinelander Oct. 3.

2-0 at GNC meet

Medford took over sole possession of second place in the GNC with two sweeps at Lakeland in the first of two GNC Saturday meets scheduled for this season. Medford will host the second one Oct. 12.

The Raiders took down Tomahawk 3-0 in their first sweep of the day. After they won a tense back-and-forth first set 28-26, Medford rolled to 25-19, 25-19 wins to finish it off.

“We came out strong against Tomahawk,” Jochimsen-McCarron said. “Tomahawk tipped a lot and we were able to cover and work through it.”

Baumgartner had 13 kills in that win. Klingbeil had six and Radlinger and Rau added four apiece. Klingbeil had a solo block and a block kill. Arndt and set up the hitters with 12 assists each.

Medford had six aces and just four errors in 76 total serves. Arndt and Radlinger had two aces apiece. Rylee Hraby led Medford with eight digs, Laney Hraby had six and Baumgartner had four.

The Raiders were able to extend some court time to their bench in a 3-0 sweep of Rhinelander. Medford controlled the first two sets 25-14, 25-14 and then were able to close it out 26-24 in the third set.

Rau was the kill leader with eight, while Baumgartner had seven and Klingbeil had two. Radlinger, Pernsteiner, Sophia Steinman, Ruthie Steinman and Schaefer all got into the kill column on the stats sheet.

Kailyn Haenel had a hand in four blocks, including two solo blocks and a kill. Klingbeil had two solo blocks and two block kills and Baumgartner added two block kills.

Pilgrim served up four of Medford’s nine aces against the Hodags. Laney Hraby had two, while Radlinger, Arndt and Ruthie Steinman had one each. Arndt and Schaefer had nine assists apiece. Rylee Hraby had six digs and Hannah Egle added three.

Mosinee went 3-0 on the day, including winning a 3-2 thriller with Antigo, to remain unbeaten and hold the top spot in the GNC standings. Antigo went 2-1 and sits in third place in the standings, a game behind the Raiders.

Bloomer 3, Medford 1

On Thursday, Medford couldn’t quite extend its non-conference match at Bloomer to a fifth game, falling 29-27 in the fourth to drop the match to the Blackhawks 3-1.

Bloomer, who improved to 11-8 for the season at the time, won the first set 25-15. Medford answered with a 25-14 win, but Bloomer came back with a 25-21 win in the third set before holding off the Raiders in the fourth.

Baumgartner put down 17 kills, while Rau and Radlinger had 11 apiece and Klingbeil and Sophia Steinman had three each. Klingbeil had five total blocks with three block kills. Baumgartner had three total blocks with two block kills.

Arndt had 23 set assists in the match, Schaefer had 16 and Rylee Hraby had six. Arndt also had four of Medford’s six service aces. The Raiders served at an 86.6% success rat with 11 errors in 82 total serves.

Arndt added to her strong night by leading Medford with 13 digs. Hraby had 10 while Pilgrim and Laney Hraby had six apiece.

Medford’s Kailyn Haenel tries to make a play at the net during the Raiders’ 3-0 sweep of Rhinelander at Saturday’s GNC volleyball meet hosted by Lakeland. BOB MAINHARDT/NORTHWOODS RIVER NEWS