The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals used early rallies in each of their set wins in a 3-1 match win over the Castlewood Warriors at home on Monday, October 3rd. The Cardinals won by set scores of 25-21, 25-16, 20-25, and 25-22.
St Mary jumped out to an early 10-3 lead in the first set. The Warriors chipped away at the lead and got within a point, 16-15, but the Cardinals stopped the rally and won the first set 25-21. The Cardinals scored seven straight points to start the second set, and that was a big enough spark to carry them through the second set. Castlewood never really challenged St Mary in the set, and the Cardinals won 25-16.
The Warriors kept things closer in the third set. St Mary never had a lead bigger than three points, and the Warriors took the lead for the first time in the match at 14-13. Castlewood slowly extended their lead and won 25-20 to force a fourth set. The Cardinals started the fourth set with a 7-3 advantage. Castlewood tied the score 9-9, and the set was tied again at 12-12. The teams traded points until the score was tied 16-16. St Mary then went on a 5-0 run for a 21-16 lead, which was enough of a lead as St Mary won 25-22 for the match win.
Ella Griffin had 16 kills, 14 digs, and two blocks. Maya Heinitz finished with eight kills, seven ace serves, and 21 digs. Brianna Griffin had eight kills, two ace serves, and one block. Megan Geraets had seven kills and two blocks. Jaycee Tebay had six kills and two blocks. Brianna Lindeman finished with 42 set assists and 13 digs. Jose Baumberger had 15 digs. Madala Hanson added 13 digs and three ace serves, and Whitney Warwick had eight digs and two ace serves.
