Thursday Volleyball Preview: Minot and LaMoure look to Bounce Back
Our Thursday night schedule is full of volleyball on all three BEK TV channels! Here is what you can expect from our three matches airing this evening:
Minot @ Jamestown – 7:00 PM
Coming off a 3rd place finish at the state tournament a year ago, Coach Sara Hagerle has another strong team in Jamestown. The Blue Jays went 4-2 at the BPS Crossover and now host Minot in their WDA Opener. Senior Makenna Nold, a Concordia St. Paul commit, leads a strong group of returners poised for another year near the top of the WDA standings.
The Majettes (4-4) had a great weekend in Bismarck, building confidence for a young but experienced core. But the momentum didn’t translate to their home court on Tuesday night in a straight-set loss to Legacy. Coach Jesse Goertzen’s group will look to get back on track against Jamestown – a team they took a set from in the WDA tournament last year.
Napoleon @ LaMoure-LM – 7:30 PM
The Loboes (5-2) fell to Linton at home in a five-set thriller which aired on BEK Tuesday night. Their other loss came at the hands of #1 Northern Cass, and so both of their losses have come against quality competition after a 5-0 start.
Napoleon dropped their opener to Ellendale, and will face another tough road test early in their campaign. The Imperials have three starters back from last year’s group, which finished 13-16.
Ellendale @ Kidder County – 7:30 PM
After a four-set win over Napoleon-GS on Tuesday, coach Jasmine Smith and the Cardinals travel to Steele and take on Kidder County Thursday evening. The Cardinals are on the younger side this season after earning a region qualifier berth last season. They’ll lean on junior Ariel Hagen, who tallied 7 aces and 17 kills in the win over Napoleon.
Kidder County is led by a first-year head coach in Miranda Bodvig. She has plenty of rapport with her team having spent the past two seasons as an assistant. The Wolves were 17-16-1 a year ago, losing to South Border in a region qualifier. Sophomores Breanah Pfaff and Taylor Zimmerman will be key returners on a young team hoping to make the most of its potential.
