After drubbing Minot High in Game 1 of their West Region volleyball match Saturday afternoon, Dickinson High looked like it was on track to cruise to an easy victory.
While the Majettes eventually went down, they didn't go without a fight.
Minot battled back and forced Dickinson into some rough patches before the Midgets claimed a 25-12, 25-17, 25-21 victory at the Dickinson High School gymnasium.
Dickinson's biggest problem may have been its quick win in Game 1.
The Midgets (7-4, 3-1 West) jumped out to a 9-1 lead thanks to four aces from senior libero Justine Braunagel. The Majettes gave Dickinson some problems before more serve receive trouble got the best of them.
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Dickinson finished with eight aces in Game 1. Braunagel had five of them.
"We've been working so hard on our offense that we let our serve receive go for a little bit," Minot coach Patricia Luetzen-Schwarz said. "It showed in the first game."
After the seemingly easy first win, a bit of complacency set in on Dickinson's side of the court and Minot seized the opportunity to make it a match.
"We just stop talking and our game goes down big time," Dickinson junior Jess Herauf said. "We all know it, but when we're winning by that much, our intensity kind of goes down. When they're not intense, we follow and we shouldn't do that. We need to keep talking and being intense."
Minot (2-10, 1-4 West) jumped out to a 9-3 lead in Game 2 but saw its small window of momentum slip away after an official's time out was called to put an extra point on the scoreboard for the Majettes.
Dickinson started climbing back after the short break and eventually reclaimed the lead when they went up 16-15 on a left-side attack from Madison Deibert.
Dickinson closed the game on a 9-1 run, which was sparked by back-to-back Deibert kills from the left outside spot.
Herauf and Deibert were both money from the left side. Herauf had a match-high 13 kills while Deibert had eight.
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"Me and Madi love hitting from that side," Herauf said.
Meanwhile, Ashley Jahner manned the middle and came up with five kills.
Setter Kara Froelich had a good afternoon setting up her hitters. The senior had 29 assists.
Holly Johnson had eight kills to lead the Majettes, who fell to 2-10 overall and 1-4 in the West Region.
Johnson helped spark Minot in Game 3, which appeared to be going down to the wire until Deibert broke a 20-20 tie with a kill from, of course, the left side, and added another attack from the left before a pair of Minot attacking errors capped the game and the match.
"At least they are responding," Dickinson coach Jay Schobinger said. "We're not getting down and saying, go ahead, you guys can just beat us."
The Midgets return to action Tuesday when they visit Bismarck High.
Minot 12 17 21 - 0
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Dickinson 25 25 25 - 3
Kills: M, Holly Johnson 8, Jayd Eggert 3, Teresa Vetter 3, Alex Bolinske 2, Ashley Bauer 2, Morgan Milbrath 1. D, Jess Herauf 13, Madison Deibert 8, Ashley Jahner 5.
Blocks: M, Vetter 4, Milbrath 2. D, Leslie Beaudoin 1, Katie Hewson 1.
Aces: M, Vetter 1. D, Justine Braunagel 6, Deibert 3, Herauf 1, Jahner 1, Megan Michaelson 1.
Digs: M, Erin Konglef 14, Johnson 6, Eggert 6, Katelyn Larson 5. D, Herauf 12, Deibert 10, Braunagel 9.
Assists: M, Larson 9, Lexi Colbenson 4, Jamie Vander Vorste 2. D, Kara Froelich 29.
Records: Dickinson 7-4, 3-1 West; Minot 2-10, 1-4 West.
