NDSCS handles Royals volleyball for 3-0 sweep

By Sam Herder, Devils Lake Journal - Sports

It was an ideal start for the Lake Region State College volleyball team. The 14-5 North Dakota State College of Science, a consistent power in the Mon-Dak Conference, was coming to town against a young Royals team. 

LRSC got off to its best match start of the season and had opportunities to win set 1. But the Wildcats proved to be too much in the competitive contest, sweeping the Royals in three sets (25-21, 25-19, 25-15).

"We played a lot better than we've been playing, we just have to execute and finish," Royals head coach Brigitte Greywater said. "Sets 1 and 2, wonderful serve receive. It struggled in the third set, and we have to keep it consistent. There's little things that Lake Region as a whole has to overcome, and once we overcome them, we'll be a wonderful team."

LRSC was in control in the first set and jumped out to a 13-10 lead after a Hannah Hextall kill. After the Wildcats came back and built a 16-15 lead, the Royals responded with back-to-back kills via Cody Shwaluk and Hextall.

But things started to click for NDSCS as it started to pull away. The Wildcats scored three straight points later in the set that drove them to a 25-21 set win.

"One of our best starts for sure," Greywater said. "You can't bury yourselves right away and we didn't do that. We were playing right with them."

The Royals stuck with NDSCS again in the second set, but just couldn't find a run to come within striking distance. LRSC did go on a 4-0 run to come within 20-16, but NDSCS took back control from there, winning set 2, 25-19.

Looking to put an exclamation point on the match, the Wildcats took a commanding 8-3 lead and didn't look back. They led the Royals by four points or more the entire set to a 25-15 win and match sweep.

"We have to build on our successes tonight," Greywater said. "We have to keep finding success with the little aspects of the game. We have to put the whole package together."