Eagles drop final GNC match

The Northland Pines volleyball team closed its Great Northern Conference (GNC) season at Lakeland last week Tuesday before taking second place at the Wausau West Invite to close the regular season Saturday.

Pines was swept 25-10, 25-23 and 25-17 by the T-Birds and finished their GNC season with an 0-12 record and an overall mark of 9-20. 

Despite the loss, coach Julie Smith said there were bright spots for the Eagles, especially in the tough second set.

“The girls pushed hard and fought hard. The level of play in that set showed the potential we have as a team,” she said. “However, the key issue for us remains consistency, particularly on the mental side.”

A few players stood out to Smith during the loss at Lakeland, especially the play of setter Bella Nowak.

“Bella Nowak remains strong and needs to be recognized for her work on the court,” stated Smith. “I feel she is one of the best setters in this league.”   

She also mentioned Natalie Kohn, who got her first varsity playing time and made some plays up at the net. 

Other players who received recognition were Tatum Fisher and Matanna DePuydt, who had three service aces for the night. 

The Eagles played their final matches before the playoffs when they traveled to the Wausau West Invitational last Saturday. 

Pines played well, earning 2-0 wins over Stockbridge, Lena and Edgar, while losing to Neillsville 2-0 and Wausau West, a D1 school, 2-1. 

“We had a solid day of volleyball and varsity finished in second place out of six teams and JV took third place,” said coach Smith. “We opened pool play with a close loss to Wausau West and a strong win over Stockbridge.”

Once the Eagles moved to bracket play, they won consecutive matches against Lena and Edgar in straight sets. 

Pines made it to the championship match against Neillsville and was defeated 2-0. A slow start contributed to the loss, but the Eagles finished the regular season on a high note.

The team is the No. 12 seed in Division 3 and opened post-season play at No. 5 seed Peshtigo this past Tuesday. The winner of that match will travel to No. 4 seed Kewaunee Thursday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m.