Sports
Ladyjacks rally to finish third in region
Tyler Ohmann
11/01/2011
The Dakota College at Bottineau volleyball team picked a good time to play their best volleyball of the season.
The Ladyjacks advanced to the final day of the Region XIII tournament, with wins over Goegebic Community College and Dakota County Technical College (DCTC).
It didn’t hurt that the Ladyjacks were at home either.
“It really had a great atmosphere with the student section,” Keysor said.
The weekend tournament began at The Woodshed with a tough loss to rival Bismarck State.
After a close 25-23 loss in game one, the Ladyjacks were swept by the Mystics losing games two and three 25-14 and 25-17 respectively.
“Game one was a really good battle,” Keysor said. “Games two and three were closer than the scores indicate.”
The match gave Keysor confidence, as he saw his team’s hustle and work ethic improve.
“It was nice to see our team get after every ball and play hard,” Keysor said. “We were pleased with our effort from not only the players on the floor, but also the enthusiasm from the bench.”
Jordyn Sondrol led the Ladyjacks with nine kills and four blocks. Sophomore Jillian Hole had 13 set-assists.
The Ladyjacks bounced back from the loss sweeping Gogebic in the first match on Saturday.
The match was the best of the year for the Ladyjacks according to Keysor.
“It was by far our best match all year,” Keysor said. “We really played with energy and heart. We were truly hitting on all cylinders.”
The Ladyjacks came out hot in game one 25-14, hung on to a 25-21 win in game two and finished with a 25-11 victory in the final set.
“We had very few mental lapses and our serving was outstanding,” Keysor said.
Sondrol again led the charge for DCB killing 16 shots, getting eight blocks and digging out 11 Gogebic shots.
DCB advanced to the final day with a win on Saturday night over DCTC.
DCTC had beaten the Ladyjacks twice previously on the season, but DCB jumped out to an early lead in the match winning games one and two.
A close third game went the way of DCTC, but the Ladyjacks rebounded to advance to the final day.
“I’m not sure I could be any more proud of a group of players coming together at the right time,” Keysor stated.
Freshman Josie Degagne had eight kills, six blocks and three digs for DCB in the win.
The Ladyjacks run was ended Sunday morning as they were swept by Williston State College.
The Ladyjacks fell 25-15 in game one, but battled back to nearly take game two, falling 25-22. A 25-11 win for the Tetons ended the Ladyjacks season.
“I’m not really sure the scores were indicative of how hard we played,” Keysor said. “I’m personally really proud and pleased that the Ladyjacks finished third in Region XIII.”
The Ladyjacks big week began with a five-set victory over Assiniboine Community College on Wednesday.
DCB rallied from a 2-0 set deficit to win the final three games, including a 15-6 win in the final set to capture their fourth victory of the season and end a eight game skid.
“It was truly a team effort,” Keysor said. “We were certainly glad to end the regular season with a W.”
For the week the Ladyjacks were led by Jordyn Sondrol, who had 68 kills, 27 blocks and 37 digs.
Sophomore Jillian Hole finished with 89 set-assists.
“All year we talked about playing our best volleyball at tournament time, and in my mind we certainly accomplished this goal,” Keysor said.
“We will certainly miss our three sophomores in Hole, Jess (Mehling), and Kelsey (Gullett), they gave us a nice foundation to build upon with their leadership and dedication.”
The 3-2 week gave the Ladyjacks a 5-21 record for the season.