Henning receives fifth seed in Section 6A

Addison Bode eyes up a serve during last week’s regular season finale against Pillager. The Hornets won the game 3-1 to finish as the Park Region Conference runner-ups.

The Henning Hornet volleyball team improved their overall record to 17-9 and their Park Region Conference record to 6-1 with their pair of wins last week. On Monday, the Hornets put up a fight and defeated the Parkers Prairie Panthers 3-2 and on Tuesday they defeated the Pillager Huskies 3-1. 

Bella Olson had to reach for a ball during Tuesday’s game in Pillager against the Huskies. Henning will open the section playoffs on Wednesday at home.

Monday’s game was a huge game for the Hornets as it was against Parkers Prairie and they are one of the top ranked teams in Section 6A. Knowing this game would help Henning’s seeding in playoffs the Hornets never stopped fighting, even when they were down 0-2. In the first set the Hornets started slow, and could not get their offense going. Henning’s passes were off, so the setters were running to get to almost every ball. When this happens Henning’s attacking is not where it should be. 

In game two, Henning started relaxing and the momentum started to change. The Hornets were not able to pull off the win in this set, but they pushed until the set ended at 26-24. 

Photo by Chad Koenen
Jenna Domier passes the ball to the front row during last week’s game in Pillager.

In sets three and four the Hornets were in charge from start to finish, Henning passed with confidence and their setters were able to set all players. With great sets the Hornets were able to attack almost anywhere. 

Head coach Kristy Finck said she gives the defense a lot of credit, they were getting hit at, tipped at and getting out of system balls coming from everywhere. The Hornets won games three and four by scores of 25-16, 25-17. 

In the fifth game, which should have been played to 15, ended up being a full set, the score at the end was 24-22 in favor of the Hornets. Finck said she was proud of the girls for finishing the game and getting the win, they never stopped battling, they worked as a team and did what was needed to pull off the win. The gym was loud and fans got to witness a great comeback from the Hornets. The Hornets need to take this win into the playoffs. 

Finck said she believes that anything is possible in the post season, they just need to play fearless and keep playing together as a team.

In Tuesday’s match against Pillager, the Hornets were playing without setter Cambrie Johnson, as she injured herself in the fifth set of the Parkers Prairie match. Henning had to do some adjusting throughout the match, and they were able to pull together with a 3-1 win. With this win, the Hornets placed second in the Park Region Conference as they were the only team with one loss (6-1). Wadena-Deer Creek won the PRC going 7-0. Menahga placed third going 4-3, Sebeka, Bertha-Hewitt and Verndale tied for fourth with a record of 3-4. Pillager finished in seventh place going 2-5 and New York Mills ended up going 0-7.

In the match against Parkers Prairie the Hornets had a record breaking 69 kills, they served 97 percent with nine aces and serve received over 90 percent to the setters. They had three players with double-digit kills, Myiesha Antoni had 20 and Alivia Emter and Addison Bode each had 17. Emmalyn Bergstrom and Brynn Reinbold followed with five apiece and Lily Grieger added three. Antoni also led the team in blocks with five and Bergstrom and Reinbold each had four and Grieger and Emter each had two. Cambrie Johnson led in set assists with 32 and Abbigale Godding had 26. Bode led in digs with 27 and Bella Olson had 20. Godding led the team with four ace serves. 

In the match against Pillager, the Hornets had 44 kills, served 95 percent with 12 aces, and serve-received 94 percent to the setters. Henning once again had three girls with double-digit kills with Addison Bode and Alivia Emter each finishing with 11 and Myiesha Antoni had 10. Brynn Reinbold had seven and Emmalyn Bergstrom added five. Emter led the team with three ace serves. Abbigale Godding led the team in set assists with 20 and Lily Grieger had 15. Bella Olson led the team in digs with 23. Reinbold led the team with five blocks, while Emter, Bergstrom and Antoni each had three.

The Hornets start the Section 6A Tournament on Wednesday, Oct. 22 in Henning. They are the fifth seed in the section and will play the winner of 12th seeded Lake Park-Audubon and 21st seeded Ashby.

The winner of Wednesday’s game will take on either fourth seeded Hillcrest Lutheran Academy or the winner of 13th seeded Underwood vs. 20th seeded Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal on Friday at the high seed.

The Section 6A tournament, which is taking on a new look this year as all of the teams are being seeded 1-21 instead of being broken down into a sub section tournament, will continue next Tuesday with the section semi-finals at Fergus Falls High School. The section finals are set for Saturday, Nov. 1 at Fergus Falls High School.