Success at home: Jimmies edge Mayville State 3-1 in home opener

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A solid team-effort of attacking the ball at the net, combined with a boisterous Jamestown College fan base, equaled success for the Jimmie volleyball team against Mayville State University at the Hansen Center on Wednesday night.

Jimmie hitters Sarah Becker (17), Kaitlyn Rogalla (12), Katie Zent (10), Janna Johnson (9) and Alaina Brown (7) combined for 55 kills to help the Jimmies roll past the Comets 3-1 in the team’s first appearance on their home court this season.

Jamestown College entered the night having swept four straight matches at the Dakota Wesleyan Labor Day Classic in Mitchell, S.D. over the weekend, and Wednesday’s victory pushed the Jimmies to a record of 9-2 to start the season.

“It was great energy, and a great atmosphere here,” Jamestown College head coach Jon Hegerle said. “It’s fun for us to be back, with everyone hooting and hollering. We haven’t seen that yet this year.”

The Jimmies impressed in the opening set, building up an 11-point lead before winning it by 12 at 25-13. An ace and a pair of assists to Becker by freshman setter Kaia Buck, of Kasson, Minn., helped the Jimmies forge ahead 14-5 in the frame, and the home team never really looked back.

Becker was deadly all evening, ending the match with a hitting percentage of over .500 at .515.

But the Jimmies struggled at times over the next two sets to the Comets, who came to Jamestown with just one loss on the season at 9-1. The Jimmies got behind early in both games, winning the second 25-22 but falling in the third 25-21.

“We knew Mayville is a scrappy team. They do what they do well,” Hegerle said. “They don’t make a ton of errors. They make you beat them, and I thought they played well in set two and three.

“We did a nice job coming back and winning set two.”

Jamestown College trailed by as many as seven (16-9) in the second game, but a 10-2 run by the Jimmies late handed them a 19-18 advantage. Buck, a high school all-stater in Minnesota, was a major contributor in that run as well, dishing out five assists to three different hitters.

“She’s just getting better and better. I really thought her serving was a factor tonight,” Hegerle said. “She put a lot of pressure on them and they were out of system and couldn’t really do what they wanted to do. For her to step up, playing in her first match at the Hansen Center, that’s a big deal.

“Our other freshman, Alaina Brown, has a lot of savvy and hits a lot of nice shots as well,” Hegerle added. “We’ve been real pleased with our freshmen output this year.”

Buck finished with a match-high three aces and 24 assists. Junior setter Kelsey Deragisch led the Jimmies with 27 assists.

The Jimmies trailed by as many as six points in the third before the Comets put things away behind junior setter Molly Hurrle and freshman middle hitter Josie Glatt. Hurrle posted two aces and found Glatt two times down the stretch to put things out of reach for the Jimmies.

“From our side of it, I thought we competed well but I didn’t think we passed as well as we have this season,” Hegerle said. “We just had too many breakdowns passing, which is not usual for us, and that gives the other team hope.

“A few errors here and a few errors there, all of a sudden you’re in a hole. But at the same toke I thought we did well offensively,” Hegerle added. “Sarah Becker, Kaitlyn Rogalla, Alaina Brown and Katie Zent all did a really nice job and Janna Johnson swung well.”

Jamestown never trailed in the fourth and final game, as Buck factored into the Jimmies’ momentum for the final time. Another ace and three more assists by the freshman, two going Becker’s way again, helped the Jimmies forge ahead 19-11.

The Jimmies are currently ranked No. 3 in the A.I.I, and face Dickinson State at the Hansen Center on Sept. 18.

Jamestown College 3,

Mayville State University 1

Mayville State 13 22 25 14

Jamestown College 25 25 21 25

Jamestown College statistics

Kelsey Deragisch: 1 kill, 27 assists, 6 digs.

Alaina Brown: 7 kills, 11 digs, 1 block.

Kaitlyn Rogalla: 12 kills, 2 digs, 3 blocks.

Janna Johnson: 9 kills, 2 digs, 3 blocks.

Katie Zent: 10 kills, 4 digs, 9 blocks.

Emilee Schutta: 1 kill, 1 assist, 1 ace, 7 digs, 2 blocks.

Katie Lee: 2 aces, 16 digs.

Beth Segerholm: 9 digs.

Kaia Buck: 24 assists, 3 aces, 8 digs.

Alex Hanson: 2 kills, 1 dig.

Sarah Becker: 17 kills, 5 blocks.

Mayville State leaders

Josett Glatt, 13 kills; Molly Hurrle, 40 assists, 2 aces; Brittany Olson 1 block; Ashley Torgusson 17 digs.

Records: Jamestown College 9-2; Mayville State 9-2.

Sun sports writer Michael Savaloja can be reached at (701) 952-8461 or by email at mikes@jamestownsun.com

Tags: sports, jimmies, volleyball