Northfield Volleyball Remains Unbeaten

The Northfield Raider volleyball team swept the Faribault Falcons at Nomeland Gym on Thursday night in the Big Nine Conference opener for both teams.

The Falcons started out very well in the first set against the young Raiders, up 14-8 at one point, and then errors mounted for Faribault.

Northfield won the first set 25-21. The Raiders would sweep Faribault, scoring 25-15 wins in each of the next two sets.

Northfield does not have a single senior on their team, but they looked to be the most experienced. Faribault has eight seniors on their squad.

The Falcons ended with nine service errors in the three sets and Northfield had five.

At times Faribault looked disinterested, and when I told Falcon head coach JoAnna Lane that after the match, she said I must've been in her huddle because she thought the same thing.

Lane asked her team if they wanted to be there and said they looked like they were in prison. She told them to have fun and play the game. They did appear to do better, but it was too late.

Take nothing away from the Northfield Raiders, this is a very good volleyball team that is now 4-0 on the young season.

Raiders head coach Tim Torstenson's daughter Emma is just an eighth-grader and is an excellent libero. I always say an effective libero keeps her legs under her and is always in the right position.

I can only recall one or two missed passes by the young Torstenson, otherwise her passes were on target and I'm sure junior setter Brynne Gray loves that.

Sophomores Emma Roethler and Linnea Larson put up a very good block and freshman Bronwyn Timperley can really hammer the ball.

Lane said she thought her team lost their zest when senior middle hitter Meghan Knutson injured her knee in the second set. She came back but then left again in the third set. Lane said her team is not deep at the middle hitter position and thought her team became a bit disoriented when that happened. The first-year head coach says someone hast to take charge when that happens.

The Falcons travel to the Apple Valley Invitational Tournament on Friday and Saturday before returning to Big Nine action Tuesday in Winona. We will have that match on Power 96 Radio beginning about 6:45PM.

Faribault is 0-2 overall and 0-1 in the Big Nine.

Our Faribault State Farm Insurance agents Faribault players of the game were senior Elana Palmer and junior Lauren Isaacson.