Mavericks go 2-2 at Eastern C

The North Country Mavericks season ended in consolation as the team went 2-2 at the 2020 Eastern Divisional Tournament in Sidney last weekend.

"This season has been one of a kind," Mavericks Coach Charlene Wasson said. "I believe we gained massive amounts of experience in this season with our underclassman. The seniors exemplified all the qualities you want upperclassman to."

The team had aspirations to reach the State Tournament, which the MHSA announced would be in Malta, but the team fell short after losing 3-2 to Fairview in the semi-finals round of the consolation bracket.

"I can say we were disappointed but I also challenged each girl to find something they can take away from the season and put it in their life tool box," Coach Wasson said. "I'm proud of the Mavericks and so lucky to be a part of this coop and coaching this team. They make this coach proud."

The Mavericks defeated Jordan in the first round of the state tournament. The scores were 25-20, 25-21, and 25-12.

"Jordan had five of their starters out because of quarantine but the kids who stepped in to fill their shoes did a great job," Coach Wasson said. "We had a few first match jitters and found ourselves having a hard time rolling and getting going like we wanted to."

The Mavericks found their rhythm and served a decent game according to Coach Wasson.

Jaycee Erickson had eight aces and five digs. Kaitlyn McColly had eight kills, eight digs, and two aces. Danika Soper had 13 assists and four aces. Kia Wasson had seven kills and 15 digs.

North Country lost to the eventual Eastern Champion Plentywood Wildcats in the next round. The scores were 25-23 NC, 27-29 PLE, 19-25 PLE, and 25-27 PLE.

"This match was an amazing match for us," Coach Wasson said. "We might have lost but the confidence we gained from this game was everything."

McColly had a team-leading 15 kills and 18 digs. Kia Wasson had 20 digs and ten kills. Danika Soper had 12 assists and four digs. Libero Zandora Longtree had 16 digs and five aces. Jaydyn Erickson had eight kills, two blocks and three aces.

"We controlled the net blocking and made their power hitters really change the way they hit the ball," Coach Wasson said. "We just had a few errors that happened at the wrong time. We walked away from this match knowing we were ready to compete at the divisional tournament."

The Mavericks went on to defeat the Froid-Medicine Lake Redhawks in five sets on Friday morning. The scores were 25-15 NC, 25-19 NC, 16-25 RH, 22-25 RH, and 15-13 NC.

K. Wasson led in kills with 16, along with 18 digs. McColly had 14 kills and 11 digs. Jaycee Erickson led in assists with 18.

Coach Wasson said that the matchup with the Redhawks gave the team Deja-Vu because the team met up the previous Friday. North Country had won the first two sets but ultimately lost the last few sets.

"We were trailing by quite a bit in the last set and just held our composure and won which was huge for us," Coach Wasson said. "It isn't always about the win but about what you can gain from the win or loss. In this match, we passed extremely well off of serve-receive giving us the opportunity to score points right off our offense."

The third matchup with the Fairview Warriors was a year-ending heartbreaker for the Mavericks, who lost the match 3-2. The scores were 25-23 NC, 25-21 NC, 23-25 FV, 21-25 FV, and 13-15 FV.

"This game was an absolute heartbreaker for us," Coach Wasson said. "In the first two sets, we were attacking hard and playing our power game.

The teams switched up their approach, and Fairview used a more passive approach to the net, using tips instead of aggressive attacks. The switch threw North Country off of their rhythm and according to Coach Wasson, the Mavericks could not recover.

"We went up 7-0 in the last set but just couldn't seal the deal," Coach Wasson said. "It is hard to realize a team you beat two times is going to state but we know volleyball is about who makes the least amount of mistakes in a set and we weren't that team that night."