Bluejays are winners of 16 of their last 17 matches

It has been a storied season so far for the Three Lakes varsity volleyball team, which has now won 16 of its last 17 matches after snatching nonconference and conference victories over Lena and Florence last week.

This streak stems from both conference and nonconference wins in single matches and tournament play. The Bluejays’ last loss was at a Sept. 26 tournament, but before that was on Sept. 3. This has also put Three Lakes in the honorable mention slot of the D4 state rankings.

Last week, the Bluejays opened with a 3-0 sweep against the visiting Wildcats to improve to a 25-9 overall record. Three Lakes moved through its homecoming week and hosted Northern Lakes Conference foe Florence last Thursday inside the Three Lakes gymnasium. The Jays played in a tight, competitive match, but came away with a 3-0 sweep.

The match against Lena went smoothly; the Bluejays continued their strong and coordinated attack with 25-15, 25-6 and 25-13 wins. A three-headed monster combined for 30 of 33 Three Lakes kills at the net. It was sophomore Kaylynn Klein with 11 kills on 33 attempts in the win. Junior Malia Szews, the team leader in kills once again this season, finished with nine kills on 26 attempts above the net. Isabella Kowalkowski also contributed to the tally with seven and Kate Koshuta followed with five.

A team effort at the service line also helped the Jays pull away in this match, as six different players combined for 19 aces and a 97% serving percentage. Kowalkowski and junior Cora Johnson led the team with six aces a piece, while Koshuta and Klein had three and two. Junior Ava Muetlein continued to lead the team in assists with 16 in this victory.

A few days later, Three Lakes searched for the regular-season sweep of the Bobcats and completed it, but it didn’t come without a fight.

“Florence is a talented team, ranked No. 1 in D5, so we knew we would need to play aggressively while managing the emotions that go along with a high-stakes match,” said Coach Betsy Gruszynski.

The opening set went to extra points, with a team needing to win by two, and the Bluejays pulled out a 29-27 victory to set the tone. Set two went back and forth early, but Three Lakes pulled away late to lead 23-19. A kill and a service error from Florence gave the Jays a 25-20 win and a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.

Florence didn’t go down without swinging. Three Lakes lost a player during the second set and was working through adjustments as the Bluejays saw themselves down by a handful of points in the middle of the third set. A strong rally from the hometown Jays tied the set at 20-20, and then they kept Florence scoreless from there to secure the 25-20 clinching set win.

“When one of our players had to leave play unexpectedly in the second set, our team demonstrated how well they support each other and work well together. They quickly made adjustments that, by the third set, had them playing with their usual level of spirit and enthusiasm,” Coach Gruszynski mentioned. “Their energy and confidence increased with every successful rally, helping to secure the match win.”

Three Lakes fed the ball to their playmakers up front, and they delivered.

Szews slammed home 17 kills, and Klein finished the night with 14.

Kowalkowski and Koshuta also laid down some crucial points with their combined 11 kills. Kowalkowski also had three blocks in the win. Muetlein also had a big night, setting up her teammates with 37 assists.

Three Lakes now looks ahead to its final two conference matches over the next two weeks. First up is a road match at Laona-Wabeno this Thursday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. That is the only scheduled game for next week ahead of the seeding meetings that start on Sunday, Oct. 11.