Clrysta Christensen #5

The Tigers, 25-2, were scheduled to face Onamia in the section final Oct. 30. That winner would face the South Subsection champion (Osakis or Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa) for the section title and state berth at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3 at a location to be determined.

PR-B 3, Sebeka 0 Subsection quarterfinals

In the opening game against Sebeka, PR-B assumed a 12-4 lead as Naomi Anderson and Taylor Sheley each had three kills. The Trojans battled back to pull within one point at 13-12, but Sheley laid down a kill and brought herself to the service line. The Tigers then took a 19-12 lead as Anderson jumped for an ace-block, Katie Wangberg and Crysta Christensen added kills and Sheley slid an ace through the Sebeka defense. Sebeka never was closer than four points as PR-B won 25-21.

The second game was all Tigers as they prevailed 25-12. They opened up a 5-1 lead on two ace-blocks and a kill by Anderson and Paige Sepin. They extended their lead to 10-5 off kills by Anderson, Wangberg, Sheley and Christensen. Wangberg then added two aces and Christensen, Sheley and Krystle Hamilton slammed down kills for a 16-5 lead.

PR-B won the final game 25-17. The teams traded points at the outset, and the Trojans had a 5-4 edge. Krystle Hamilton came up to serve and pushed an ace past the Trojans, and Paige Sepin smashed a kill for a 7-5 PR-B lead. The Tigers extended the lead to 13-8 on kills by Wangberg, Christensen and Sheley, plus a Behrens ace. PR-B extended the lead to 20-10 after aces by Sheley and Wangberg and another Christensen kill. Christensen added two aces and Paige Sepin a kill for a 23-11 Tiger lead. The Trojans cut into the deficit with aces and kills, but a service fault and a net call against the Trojans ended the match.

"The last few practices we worked extremely hard," PR-B coach Alisa Den Hartog said. "We worked a lot on defense and it showed. We didn't let many balls drop. We knew we needed to play well against this team and not quit until we heard the whistle. That's exactly what the girls did. This is the best defense I have seen them play all year and now is a good time to be doing that."

PR-B statistics

Taylor Sheley - 11 kills, 2 ace serves, 3 blocks, 12 digs

Naomi Anderson - 10 kills, 5 blocks, 2 digs, 1 set assist

Katie Wangberg - 7 kills, 3 ace serves, 13 digs, 28 set assists

Crysta Christensen - 5 kills, 2 ace serves

Laura Laposky - 1 ace serve, 16 digs, 3 set assists

Paige Sepin - 4 kills, 1 block, 3 digs

Kristina Behrens - 3 ace serves, 4 digs

Krystle Hamilton - 1 kill, 1 ace serve, 14 digs, 3 set assists

PR-3, Nevis 2 Subsection semifinal

Wangberg finished with 10 kills and 44 set assists and Naomi Anderson added 19 kills and five blocks to led PR-B past Nevis in five hard-fought games.

The first game opened with Nevis building an 11-4 lead as Anderson slammed down two kills and Krystle Hamilton dished out an ace. A service fault brought Laura Laposky to the line and the Tigers narrowed the gap to 11-8. The teams traded points with Nevis holding an 18-17 edge. PR-B rallied for a 22-19 lead on the strength of two Wangberg kills. The Tigers eventually won 25-22 on a final point ace-block by Anderson.

Nevis won the second game 25-21. The game was tied at 17 as neither team led by more than two points for the rest of the game. Nevis then had three straight points on two kills and a Tiger lift. Hamilton laid down a kill to bring Sheley to the line, but a PR-B error sent the serve back to Nevis. The teams traded points until Nevis eventually won.

The Tigers rallied from an early deficit in the third game to lead 7-4 as Anderson had two kills and two ace blocks. PR-B later enjoyed a 13-11 edge as Sheley picked up two kills and an ace, Anderson added a kill and Paige Sepin an ace-block. Nevis came back to tie it 13-13, but the Tigers regained the lead and stretched the margin with six straight points. PR-B picked up kills by Wangberg and Sheley to lead 24-17, but Nevis rallied to cut the deficit to 24-23. The Tigers then won as a kill attempt was deep.

The fourth game started out all Tigers as they jumped out to a 5-0 lead on two Anderson kills. Nevis then tied the score 9-9 as Christensen got an ace and Anderson another kill. Nevis extended its lead to 16-11 on the way to a 25-16 victory, as the Tigers could only muster a kill by Anderson and Wangberg.

The final game started out similar to the fourth with the Tigers grabbing a 6-1 lead on kills by Anderson and Sepin, plus an ace by Hamilton. PR-B would never surrender the lead, however, in the deciding game. The Tigers extended their lead to 10-4 on kills by Paige Sepin, Wangberg and Sheley. The final score was 15-12 after a final-point kill by Paige Sepin, with a set assist by Anderson.

"We knew tonight was going to be a long night," said Den Hartog, whose squad split with Nevis in matches earlier this season. "We match up very well with Nevis and the past two times we've played them, all of the games were close. This match was going to come down to defense and who made fewer errors."

Den Hartog said her squad came out a "little sluggish" to begin the match.

"I think we just had to get all of the jitters out," she said. "In a match like this there will always be jitters. After those first couple of rallies we really started playing. Winning that first game was good for the girls. It's always good to get at least one game under your belt. Again, we played great defense and passed the ball well, and I think that contributed to our win."

PR-B statistics

Katie Wangberg - 10 kills, 19 digs, 44 set assists

Naomi Anderson - 19 kills, 5 blocks, 5 digs, 1 set assist

Taylor Sheley - 10 kills, 1 block, 2 ace serves, 18 digs

Laura Laposky - 20 digs, 3 set assists

Krystle Hamilton - 1 kill, 2 blocks, 3 ace serves, 19 digs,

1 set assist

Paige Sepin - 10 kills , 5 digs

Kristina Behrens - 1 ace serve, 14 digs, 1 set assist

Crysta Christensen - 3 kills, 1 block, 3 ace serves, 9 digs,

1 set assist