Jimmies breeze by Comets

By Michael Savaloja

October 20, 2011 at 6:09 AM

A balanced hitting attack up front, combined with a solid defensive effort away from the net, translated into the Jamestown College volleyball team making quick work over the Mayville State University Comets in Mayville on Wednesday night.

The Jimmies posted 52 kills on the night, with Heather Brown racking up 12, Sarah Becker slamming home 9, Alex Hanson and Katie Zent both picking up 8 and Kaitlyn Rogalla recording 7, as Jamestown College rolled by the final scores of 25-23, 25-18, 25-19.

"We had a good effort," said Jamestown College head coach Jon Hegerle. "I don't think we were as sharp as we have been in the past, but at the same token when we needed to make plays, we made plays."

The Jimmies swung their best in Game 1, rolling to a hitting percentage of .359 with 17 kills and just 3 errors. Ironically, however, it was the closest game in the match as the Jimmies won by 2 points.

"We hit pretty well, they just didn't make a lot of mistakes on their side. They used a lot of unconventional attacks that put us in trouble, but fortunately we stuck around and took it at the end," Hegerle said. "Sarah Becker really hit well in the first game and set the tone for us there."

Becker is a 6-foot-1 sophomore middle blocker from Rochester, Minn.

The Jimmies' Katie Lee, a junior defensive specialist from Fargo, kept the Jimmies alive on numerous occasions on her way to 18 digs on the night. Senior setter Jada Meiklejohn and sophomore setter Kelsey Deragisch each also shined during the match, as both set up the Jimmie offensive with 21 assists apiece.

"Katie Lee made some good defensive plays and good scramble plays that kind of kept our team together. She was definitely a calming presence for us in the back row," Hegerle said. "Beth Segerholm came in and served two aces with no misses, which was the best serving that we had and we were thrilled with that."

Segerholm is a junior defensive specialist from Northwood, N.D.

Hegerle also had some encouraging words for junior middle blocker Kaitlyn Rogalla. The 5-11, Moorhead, Minn. native record 3 assists, 1 dig and 1 block to go along with her 7 kills.

"Kaitlyn Rogalla really turned it on at the end of Game 3," Hegerle said. "She hit some balls with authority and really took the wind out of the sails of Mayville."

The Jimmies moved to 19-9 overall and are now 6-1 in the Dakota Athletic Conference with their second victory in as many matches.

Jamestown College now heads south to Des Moines, Iowa, were the team will face four teams in two days during the Grand View Tournament this Friday and Saturday.

"We leave tomorrow morning. We play two really tough teams in No. 3 Columbia (College) and No. 23 Grand View (University) on their home court," Hegerle said. "It will be a good challenge for us on Friday."

The Jimmies will then take on Peru State College and Graceland University on Saturday.

"We're just hoping we can get some momentum going and play hard consistently," Hegerle said. "Our biggest goal now is to come out and compete hard and put out a good effort."

Jamestown College 3, Mayville State University 0

Jamestown College 25 25 25

Mayville State 23 18 19

Jamestown College statistics

Jada Meiklejohn: 21 assists, 5 digs.

Sarah Didychuk: 3 kills, 1 dig, 2 blocks.

Sarah Becker: 9 kills, 1 dig, 1 block.

Heather Brown: 12 kills, 4 digs, 5 blocks.

Alex Hanson: 8 kills, 3 digs, 1 block.

Katie Zent: 8 kills, 10 digs, 6 blocks.

Katie Lee: 2 assists, 18 digs.

Beth Segerholm: 2 aces, 1 dig.