ONE Journey… “The joy of the journey is in the ride.”

Gator Volleyball 2013 “A dream doesn't become reality through

magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard

work.”

Used with permission from Thoele Photography

WE ARE ONE!

One Team One Family One Mission 1 Morgan Anderson JR S/RH 2 Andrea Burkel SR S 3 Alyssa Wahl JR MH 4 Tori Mekash SR OH 5 Shanyce Bishop SR S 6 Emily Anderson SO OH 8 Katie Langaas SR MH 9 Kate Howell SR OH 10 Mariah Modahl JR L 12 Madison Truscinski JR OH 13 Paige Taggart SR RH 15 Tiana Watson SR DS Head Coach: Stacy Dahl Assistant Coaches: Sharon Schultz and Deb Koebernick Athletic Director: Eldon Sparby Manager: Amanda Gram School Colors: Forest Green, Black, and White School Song: Across the Field

Gator Volleyball 101:

Gator Volleyball Philosophy

One goal of the BGMR volleyball program is to develop hard working

individuals who are leaders in various forms on and off the court. It is our philosophy to instill a strong work ethic, discipline, leadership, a desire to play the game, competitiveness, and other life lessons along the way. Building a successful, competitive program is a goal, but there are many life lessons learned from defeat—learning from our mistakes will only make us stronger. Everything in your life is a reflection of a choice you have made. If you want a different result, make a different choice.

Volleyball demands teamwork---all teammates work as

one toward a common goal. The team is more important

than the individual player, and decisions made are with the

team’s best interest.

There is not immediate gratification in volleyball;

success is measured not by the scoreboard but by how

players handle obstacles in their way. Players are told to

“not get frustrated, but to get better.” They learn to deal

with failure and disappointment and find ways to

overcome—this is a highly valuable life skill.

In volleyball, there are unique experiences and choices that

athletes encounter. Lessons learned include the difficult

process of setting goals and striving to achieve them as a

team and as an individual player. Athletes learn discipline,

teamwork, responsibility, commitment, determination,

and several other valuable characteristics.

Six players working as one on the court provides an invaluable experience for all players. They

learn to accept errors and limitations and experience self-sacrifice and delayed gratification.

Consistency is more valuable as this proves more powerful than a single “big play” or

“great game.”

Gator athletes demonstrate sportsmanship, good

character, confidence, poise, and respect for themselves,

their team, and their opponents.

Dream, Desire, Discipline!

How To Be A Great Teammate Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success. 1. THINK TO SOLVE

INSTEAD OF

COMPLAINING. A. If a problem comes up,

complaining doesn't fix it. Try

to come up with a solution.

2. BE SELF-DISCIPLINED

INSTEAD OF HAVING TO

BE DISCIPLINED. A. You can control yourself because YOU want to.

B. If you can't control yourself, someone else will have to.

3. BE ABLE TO TAKE CRITICISM INSTEAD OF HATING CRITICISM.

A. We criticize to make you better. We try to be as positive as we can be.

4. YELL FOR, INSTEAD OF AT, A TEAMMATE.

A. Yelling doesn't make you more fired up; you must have a burning desire to win that will

spread to the rest of the team that will be much better than yelling at them.

5. GIVE BELIEF INSTEAD OF GRIEF. A. Don't say, "That doesn't work." Say, "Let's make it work."

6. STAND UP FOR YOUR MISTAKES, DON'T HIDE FROM THEM. A. Be honest about making mistakes, and then we can fix them.

7. BE AN INSTRUCTOR ~ NOT A DESTRUCTOR. A. Help younger players learn the system.

B. Don't try to scare younger players, be a teammate.

8. SAY "THANK YOU" TO A COMPLIMENT INSTEAD OF "I KNOW".

REMEMBER: You can be a winner on the scoreboard and still be a loser in life's game; as you can also be a loser on the scoreboard and still a winner in life's game. Let's be winners in both!!

ATTRIBUTES OF A GOOD TEAM

SHARE A COMMON GOAL

The team (players and staff ) must know that they are all in search of a common goal. They must

give all of themselves in a relentless pursuit of that goal. They must trust and firmly believe that

all members of the team will do whatever it takes to reach that goal.

TRUSTS IN EACH OTHER

If there is doubt that a coach or player isn't committed to the goal, it tears down the strength of

the team. We must have a trust and faith in our teammates and coaches.

PASSION FOR EXCELLENCE

We must have a passion for excellence. This passion needs to extend to every contact

with the ball. This passion is at the heart of a strong work ethic in all areas. It should drive us to

improve daily.

GOOD COMMUNICATION

A good team has good communication. There is constant talk about what has just happened

what is likely to happen and what or how each individual will respond in certain situations. On a

good team the setter and the hitter are sure to compliment the passer if a good pass was made.

The hitter compliments the setter when a good set is made. If the setter makes a good set off a

tight pass the passer compliments the setter and lets the setter know that the next pass will be

kept off the net to make it easier. The hitters and setters need to give each other constant

feedback. A tendency might be that the hitters only give feedback when they do not get a kill.

Neither the setter nor hitters can assume that the other knows what was wrong - it must be

communicated in a civil fashion. Screaming "higher" at the setter when the ball is set too low is a

command - not communication.

Communication off the court is equally important. Whatever talk there is outside the gym needs

to be constructive. If complaining takes place, it is the responsibility of whoever might be

listening to not allow it to continue. Talking about a problem with someone with the goal of

finding a solution is constructive.

PLAYS WITH EMOTION

A good team plays with emotion. There is a celebration after winning a point or sideout

regardless of how it was won. Teammates draw strength from one another.

FEEDS OFF EACH OTHER

A good team learns to "feed off each other." A team player will still give to the team, even if

she isn't necessarily having a great day performing. If I have not executed a skill perfectly,

but my teammates have somehow made a good play out of it, I need to rejoice in our good play,

instead of sulking about my error. I can often "make up" for my skill error by the way I choose to

act about it. I can always control my attitude. One of the great things about being on a team is the

fact that I have teammates that can pick up the slack if I have a bad day. In an individual sport, if

I'm not performing well, my only hope is that my opponent has a worse day. If I learn to feed off

my teammates, I can often work through the trouble spots and turn my performances into a

positive one.

LOVES WHAT IT'S DOING

On a good team, people take part because they love what they're doing. They take part because

there is nothing that they would rather be doing.

EXTRA WORK

Players on a good team are eager to put in extra work. They

want areas of weakness in their game to become areas of

strength. They look forward to any extra time that they might

have to work on these areas.

STRONG LEADERSHIP

Leadership is a must. The leader(s) are respected by the staff

and other players. A leader helps form a communication

bridge between players and coaches. She is able to head off

problems before they become issues, and take issues from

players to coaches (and vice versa) if necessary.

A leader sets a standard of excellence for others to follow. She is consistent in

her attitude and actions, on and off the court.

"Success has always been easy to measure. It is the distance between the team's origins and the

team's final achievement...." Michael Korda

The concept of leadership is that good leaders are made, not born. You must have the desire and will power to

become an effective leader. Good leaders are continually working and trying to improve their leadership skills!

“Champions are made from something they have

within them; a dream, a desire, a vision.”

Gators Win Season

Opener

The Gator Volleyball team kicked off the 2013 season with a 3-0 win versus Stephen-Argyle on August 27th. The Gators lost two seniors to graduation from last year’s team, Courtney Kirkeide and Michele Green, but return a veteran team with several players receiving quality varsity experience the past three seasons. Players have high expectations of themselves and their teammates; so undoubtedly with their experience, they will be

a team to watch this season.

Even though the gym was steamy, the Gators played a typical first match of the season and were a little inconsistent overall. They started the night strong from the service line and had tough serves that kept the Storm out of system. The Gators jumped to a quick 12-4 start in set 1; however, the Storm utilized their big front row and held the Gator hitters at bay. Defensively, the Gators were sharp all night in serve receive and played some tough defense, but they struggled offensively each set. The Gators played quite tight and were a little too stoic at times, and the Storm made it interesting battling back to make it a one point set when Kate Howell got a critical serving rope at the end with 5

points in a row, many smart, out of system serves, and the Gators would close the set after a costly Storm missed serve winning 25-22.

Set 2 was more evenly matched throughout as there were no big swings in scoring either way until the Storm marched four straight points late in the game. The Gator attack was still getting swallowed up by a big Storm block, and 4 costly Gator serving errors kept the Gators scrambling to get it done. Momentum and excitement were lacking, but the Gators still managed to claim the set 25-22.

The Gators found themselves in set 3 and celebrated big. Alyssa Wahl had a fantastic hitting night at 60% and worked hard to get the block set pin to pin. The intensity changer was Morgan Anderson’s 9 rope serving spree, which kept the Storm scrambling to return the serve. This was the spark needed to get the Gators firing on all cylinders. Anderson picked up 4 quick assists as and the Gator attack finally got some kills. The Storm squeaked out 4 extra points, but the Gators would close out a decisive 25-15 win.

Mariah Modahl had a solid night in the back row and had consistent passing to the setter in serve receive and defense (an impressive 7/8 in serve receive), and Tori Mekash chipped in some fantastic digs from the back row. Alyssa Wahl led the Gator attack with 9 kills and 2 ace blocks; Katie Langaas chipped in 7 kills, and Tori had 5 kills and 2 service aces. Andrea Burkel rounded up 7 assists, while Shanyce Bishop had 6 of her own. The Gator offense will come around as they have several hitters who can score. They will also look to Paige Taggart on the right side as she has a powerful armswing and great court vision.

The goal for this Gator team is to play at a consistently high level, and with so many talented players, this could be met. Each player has a valuable role to the team’s success, so it’s fitting that “We are One” this season. Let the 2013 journey begin……..Goooooo Gators!

Inconsistency Plagues Gators

In the Gator home opener vs the Roseau Rams, the Gators struggled to get things going offensively and at times defensively as well. The Gators found themselves down 2-8

right away in the first set as the Rams came ready to play and aggressively pursued the ball. Gator hitters couldn’t find the holes in the Ram defense, and overall energy on the court was lacking; they lost 18-25. Set 2 proved to be a little better as the Gators got off to a quick 9-3 start, but again, inconsistency of all fundamental skills plagued the Gators. The Gators continued to struggle from the service line as well, helping the Rams battle right back into the set. The Rams pushed points down the stretch in the Gator back court, but the Gators were able to hold them off 26-24. The nightmare continued in set three where the Gators only earned 6 of their 18 points. The Gator attack never got started, and the Gator defense struggled as the Ram outside was hitting over the block and hard in the court. Momentum never went the Gator way and they lost 18-25. Set 4 proved to be a marathon as both teams turned it up a notch. Gator hitter Katie Langaas got a hot hand and

rounded up 7 kills in the set, but 3 costly team missed serves, and several missed opportunities were problematic. Both teams were playing full throttle, and several Gators stepped up to score as they found some holes and forced some errors. Paige Taggart delivered 2 unexpected kills from the right side to propel the Gators down the stretch. The Gators were able to hold off the Rams and close out the set in a long 32-30 battle. The deciding 5th set just didn’t go the Gator way. The Gators earned 9 of their 12 points with kills, aces, and a block but continued to make too many errors and couldn’t squeak by with a win, losing 12-15. All is fixable as it’s early in the 2013 season; however, routine plays must be consistently made, so the Gators will get to work. The Gators committed far too many unforced errors, and this is detrimental against well established teams. Serving well is a must, and the Gator block needs to get set and sealed if it’s going to be successful.

It is always an interesting match with Roseau, and the October meeting should prove to be even more competitive as the Gators look forward to playing their best volleyball. Katie Langaas led the Gator attack with 15 kills and 2 service aces; Tori Mekash scored 8 kills, 5 aces, and 1 block, and Kate Howell rounded out the top 3 with 6 kills, 2 aces, and 1 block. Shanyce Bishop had 21 assists; Andrea Burkel had 13. Morgan Anderson and Mariah Modahl were the only Gators to have 100% serving on the night, and Modahl also had 16 digs for the Gator defense.

Mental Toughness and Grit!

With little time to regroup, the Gators hit the road to take on the Northern Freeze on Thursday. The Gators seemed to have stepped up their game coming out strong in serve receive against the Freeze early in set one. The Gators had many good looks, and hitters were more in sync and connecting with the setters. Blocking proved to be much

more effective as the Gators racked up 4 ace blocks in the first set. The Gators marched to a 23-14 lead, were communicating really well, and making some solid plays together; however, the Freeze was not going down without a fight. Inconsistent passing, lack of communication, and the Gators not shutting the door late in the set gave the Freeze all the momentum they needed to rattle the Gators and make it an interesting finish. The Gators were able to hold off for a 25-22 win. Set 2 proved to be the complete opposite. The Freeze came out firing and got out to an early 15-6 lead over the Gators. Hitting errors into the net and out of bounds were problematic. It seemed like an effortless Freeze win when the Gator

charge came on strong late in the set. Down 12-23, Andrea Burkel put a nice string of points on the board with some tough serving, closing the gap to 16-24. Several Gator hitters took initiative and found some holes in the Freeze defense, but it seemed a little too late. The real momentum shift came with Kate Howell at the service line. Howell served up 10 serves, and the Gator attack and defense played on fire to tie up the set at 25 a piece. Mariah Modahl had a solid defensive night serve receive passing and had 9 digs. Costly miscues cost the set as the Gators ran out of steam losing 25-27, but the tremendous will to win and never say die attitude was truly spectacular. Mental toughness and grit were unquestionable in this set for the Gators as they rallied to make it interesting. Set 3 piggy backed and forth as both teams racked up mini strings, but it became a tipping showdown. The Gators took

advantage of a late missed Freeze serve and were able to put down the last ball to win 25-21. After a slow start in set 4, the Gators scrambled back into the set to get the lead at 10-9. Attack and passing errors were a little dicey mid stretch, and the Freeze put together 4 points to get a 20-18 edge toward the end of the set. The Gator attack answered. Katie Langaas, Kate Howell, and Tori Mekash all stepped up and scored a couple points here and there and the Gators would rally to win 25-22.

Katie Langaas racked up 12 kills on the night and 1 service ace. Tori Mekash placed 11 kills in Freeze territory, scored 1 ace block, and had 90% serve receive passing, and Kate Howell had 9 kills, 2 service aces, 3 blocks, and 88% serve receive passing. Andrea Burkel would tally up 17 assists and 1 service ace, and Shanyce Bishop would chip in 16 of her own.

The Gators continue on the road to Lake of the Woods Thursday, September 12, to battle the Bears, then look forward to the Pony Invitational in Warren on Saturday. Great competition early in the season gives the Gators a glance at where they are at and where they need to improve to battle with the best. It’s been a little touch and go early on; however, the strength of this team is their willingness to dig in, play even harder, and push each other to be the best, and there is no doubt the best Gator volleyball is yet to come.

Gator Strong!

The Gators traveled to Bear country on Thursday, September 12, and came out swinging. The Gators captured every milestone in the set, and several Gator hitters were swinging aggressively and placing the ball well in the Bear’s court. With a 23-15 lead, the Gators let down their guard and Lake of the Woods clawed back to get 5 points within reach, but the Gators held on to win 25-20. Perhaps disgusted with the finish of set 1, the Gators were completely dominant in set 2. The Bears gave several freeballs to the Gator defense and tried to push deep corners, which was not going to work with Mariah Modahl in the back court, who led the Gator defense with 7 digs on the night. With Gator servers keeping the Bears out of system, and the Gator defense being rock solid, Lake of the Woods struggled to return the ball and made several costly attack errors. The Gators attacked set 3. Off to a quick 5-1 start, the Gators earned another rope to jump to a 14-7 lead. Katie Langaas was unstoppable

in the middle earning 6 kills in this set, and Kate Howell connected well on top of the ball for 5 kills to keep the Bears scrambling on defense. The Gators won decidedly 25-18. Serving percentage was consistent each set, and many Gators stepped up and made routine plays to get the job done in 3. Katie Langaas led the Gator attack with 14 kills and 2 ace blocks; Kate Howell added 12 kills and 3 digs on the night; Tori Mekash racked up 7 kills, 5 digs, and 1 ace. Shanyce Bishop scrambled for 19 assists and 2 service aces, and Andrea Burkel finished the night with 9 assists. With consistently high level play, the Gators looked solid, and it was a fun 3-0 sweep.

Back-to-Back

Champions!

As the defending Pony Invitational champions, the Gators had a title to defend Saturday, September 14. High team goals were set and the Gators worked hard to achieve them. In pool play, the Gators defeated Red Lake Falls 25-16 and 25-11. The Gator block was highly effective and Gator passers were spot on. Katie Langaas had the hot hand earning 10 kills this match. Kate Howell’s focus from the service line brought 4 aces, and the Gators played well the entire match. Gator blockers had big hands with Alyssa Wahl with 2 ace blocks, Tori Mekash with 2 ace blocks, and Langaas with 2 as well. The pace against Stephen-Argyle was much quicker and fun to watch. The Storm was aggressive and swinging hard at the ball, but the Gator defense really stepped up. Tori Mekash and Mariah Modahl had consistent passing from the back row, but Gator servers struggled from the line missing 5 serves set 1. Gators were able to close out the set 25-22. Set 2 was more consistent as the Gators

jumped to a 9-1 lead. The Storm wasn’t going to go down without a fight. The Gators let the Storm get a string of points toward the end, but then turned it up a notch and earned 3 of the last 5 points to win 25-17, one of them being a phenomenal one handed set out of the net by Andrea Burkel to get her attacker the ball. Paige Taggart had two solid blocks and 2 sneaky kills from the right side. Langaas continued to attack the ball with 12 kills, and Howell and Mekash were swinging at will as well with 8 and 6 kills respectively. Shanyce Bishop flew all over to get her hitters the ball finishing the match with 20 assists. Sacred Heart was the last team faced in pool play. The Eagles had a weapon in strong outside hitter Stacy Remer, so the Gators knew they had to step up, make big defensive plays, and control their serves. The Gators ping ponged points at the beginning of set 1

and got down 13-11. The Eagle’s offspeed hits seemed to baffle the Gator defense at first but they made adjustments so the Gator attack could get active. Gator passers got the ball right to target, allowing Howell and Langaas to get great sets, so the Gators earned 11 out of the last points in the set with kills and aces. Set 2 was all Gators----Everyone was firing on all cylinders and there was no looking back. Langaas led the Gators with 10 kills; Howell chipped in 7 kills and 2 aces, and Alyssa Wahl came up with 3 kills and an ace block. Morgan Anderson did a great job stepping in and setting out of system balls for the hitters, and the Gators won easily 25-9. Even when the Gators were out of system, players stepped up and controlled the ball.

Mahnomen has a veteran team this season as well, so the Gators knew the championship round would be tough but were eager to compete. The Gator attack

aggressively came out swinging as the Gators earned 5 of the first 6 points with kills. Mahnomen hitters couldn’t get in sync and they errored on the attack, giving the Gators the points. The Gators won 25-17. The Indians would step up in set 2. Gator passing started drifting into mid court, and hitters weren’t getting great looks. The Indians got a couple strings early on, their hitters connected, and the Gators had to play catch up. Modahl and Mekash did a great job reading the hitters and making plays in the back court. Each made great digs to save the play. The Gators battled to tie it at 16 as they cleaned up the offense, but they just couldn’t get the momentum to close out the set, losing 22-25. Set 3 was back and forth early on, but with a 4 point surge at 8-8, the Gators pulled up and marched to a 15-9 win for the championship. Langaas led the Gators with 13 kills and 1 block, Mekash added 8 kills and 1 ace, Howell contributed 4 kills and 1 block, and Taggart added 3

kills. Bishop had 14 assists and 2 service aces, Burkel added 8 assists, and Anderson chipped in 3 of her own.

In a marathon day, the Gators played consistently well, maintained their focus, and played with confidence and desire. The bar was set high, and they ate up the challenge to win. Way to go Gators!

Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!

The Gators returned to the Swamp to take on the Warroad Warriors, Tuesday, September 17. The beginning of the match was quite relaxed as neither team was scoring too many points in a row. Momentum swung back and forth until the Gators managed a couple ropes to pull up 19-16. After a Warroad timeout, the Gators were reminded of the night’s goal---win in 3 and hold the Warriors to 18 points or less. The Gators marched onto the floor and rattled off 6 consecutive points to win 25-17, impressive focus and tenacity since their opponent was already at 17 points. The Gators were aggressively swinging on offense and did manage to get a few cheap balls to land in after rolling down the tape, a kill’s a kill. The home team jumped to a quick 8-3 start in set 2, but then started playing a little too lax—balls were dropping on the floor untouched, and players were caught looking at each other instead of playing with maximal effort. The Warriors took advantage of the Gator

miscommunication but weren’t able to capture any of the milestones, and the Gators prevailed 25-20. Perhaps a little hungrier or irked that they didn’t meet goal, the Gators came out swinging in set 3 even after a less than favorable start. The Gators clawed their way to a 13-9 edge and then marched to 25, winning 25-16. The Gator attack came around as attackers racked up 12 kills as a team and played with a little more urgency. Good teams make routine plays consistently, but great teams make phenomenal plays consistently. Figuring out what it takes to be unstoppable is the challenge for the Gators as they look forward to post season play, a task that this team is up for. Katie Langaas led the Gator attack with 15 kills and 1 block, followed by Kate Howell with 9 kills, 6 digs, and 2 service aces, and Alyssa Wahl with 6 kills and 1 block. Shanyce Bishop had 19 assists and 4 digs, and Andrea Burkel was not too far behind with 14 assists and 3 digs. The only Gator server without 100% serving, Tori Mekash made up for it with 3 service aces, 5 kills, and 6 digs, and Mariah Modahl had another rock solid night in the back row with 60% serve receive passing and 13 digs.

Looking ahead: The Gators take on the Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Ponies September 19 in the Swamp! Go Gators!

The Winning Streak Continues The Gators’ winning streak continues as they beat the Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Ponies in 3 sets. Although the win was not pretty, the Gators managed to contain the Ponies to meet goal. The team looked out of sync and several fundamental skills, passing, setting, and hitting seemed inconsistent most of the night; however, a win is still a win. The Gators marched to a 10-4 start in set 1 with 5 of the first 6 points recorded as kills; however, there were several miscues and shanked passes. Quick starts are something the Gators have been working on, so it was nice to see a sharp start, but the Gators depend on solid defense, so the fact that it was sketchy at best was problematic throughout the night. Balls hit the floor untouched or weren’t even attempted to be chased down which is

atypical for this Gator team. Fortunately, eight out of system serves in this set kept the Ponies scrambling on serve receive and Gator attackers racked up 13 kills in this set, winning 25-16. Another quick start followed in set 2 as the Gators jumped to a 7-1 lead. The Ponies battled tough this set and got a few runs forcing a Gator timeout at 12-11; however, the Gator attack pulled through earning 14 kills to the Ponies’ 9 this set and closed it out 25-14. Set 3 turned ugly right off the start. Passing, effort, and vocality shut down early and the Ponies got a solid string of points to make it a 16-19 game. Gator hitters weren’t getting good looks off poor passing or inconsistent setting

and only had 8 kills in the set. On a positive note, another team goal for the evening was to achieve 5 ace blocks, and Katie Langaas and Paige Taggart stepped up set three to earn 3 ace blocks each, helping the Gators earn a season high 8 ace blocks on the

night. Grit appeared again as the Gators earned the last 7 consecutive points to win 25-16 in set 3, a positive trait to continue to develop. This could be valuable in close, competitive matches. It’s always nice to get a win, even if it’s not as decisive as it should be, and it’s still early enough where teams don’t necessarily want to be playing their best. With several matches left in the season, the Gators can continue to fine-tune their attack to keep their sights on beating the best, and with any luck, the Gators can peak at the right time and be playing their finest come late October. Leading the Gator attack was Katie Langaas with 15 kills and 4 blocks on the night, Kate Howell with 9 kills, 1 service ace, and 12 digs, and Alyssa Wahl with 6 kills.

Shanyce Bishop had 16 assists and 3 service aces, followed by Andrea Burkel’s 6 assists.

Paige Taggart recorded a personal best of 3 ace blocks to aid the Gator defense, and Mariah Modahl had 15 digs, followed by Tori Mekash’s 10 digs for the evening.

The Gators move to 9-1 on the season and look forward to a scrappy Grygla-Goodridge team on Thursday, September 26, and the Pioneer Classic Tournament on the weekend. Competition is only going to get hungrier as tournament time approaches, and the Gators have plenty to focus on to get into tournament form. They should be fun to watch! Gooooo Gators!

Gator Tough

The Gators had a wake up call against a tough Grygla-Goodridge volleyball team. The Chargers came out swinging early in the match and played some pretty impressive defense that kept the Gators scrambling to earn points. The Gators also struggled at first with the Chargers’ hard serves, passing several over the net on serve receive, and the Gator attack wasn’t as effective as it could have been since passes weren’t spot on. They found themselves down 7-11 early on. The Gators just couldn’t earn points in a row and lost 20-25. Despite a quick start in set 2, 5-0, the Gators let the Chargers right

back in and they rattled off 7 serves in a row. The Gator block struggled to get touches on the Charger attack to slow it down for the back row, and the attack just kept coming and coming as the Chargers were hungry. Blockers struggled to read the hitting angles of the Chargers so the Charger hitters had a free for all at the Gator defense several times. The Gators did string together a few points to pull up 14-11; however, the Chargers just wouldn’t go away. The Gators couldn’t pull through and lost 21-25. Down 0-2 and their backs against the wall, the Gators needed to win set 3 at all costs. Serving got better as the Gators were able to serve 7 out of system serves, and hitters warmed up and found some holes in the Charger defense and Gator diggers started taking away Charger kills. The Gators got up 10-6 early on, yet again let the Chargers hang around on the scoreboard. After a rope of 6, the Gators pulled to a 20-16 lead down the home stretch, but the Chargers kept going for the upset and came within 2. The Gators finally closed it out 25-21 to push the 4th set. The set would ping pong back and forth early on until Andrea Burkel got hot from the serving line and the Gator offense started putting the ball away. Burkel had 12 serves in a row to seal the win 25-12. The Gators had to step it up set 5 to come away with a tough win, and that they did. The Gators managed to secure the first milestone pulling up 5-3, but the Chargers stole the 10 pulling up 10-9. The rest of the set would be a little stressful as both teams made some costly mental mistakes, but the Gators did enough to get the win 17-15. There were plenty of long volleys and great competitive volleyball from both teams, so it was a treat to watch. This was quite a test for the Gators as they were down two sets and managed to pull it together and play hard to get the win. The Chargers came out hungry, but the Gators showed their persistence and will to win attitude as they battled all night long to make it a game. It was a tremendous effort by both teams. Kate Howell stepped up for the Gators with 20 kills, 1 service ace, and 1 ace block. Tori Mekash helped the Gator cause with 13 kills and 13 digs, and Katie Langaas chipped in 11 kills, 2 blocks and 1 service ace, Alyssa Wahl scored 10 kills and 1 ace block, and Paige Taggart had 4 kills and a block. Shanyce Bishop had 27 assists on the night; Burkel had 21 assists and 4 service aces. Mariah Modahl had 75% serve receive passing and earned 14 digs.

Gators Win Northland

Pioneer Classic

My Oh My! The Gators earned their second tournament championship at the Northland Tournament September 28. The Gators faced RLCC as their first opponent in pool play and came out strong set 1 getting a 16-4 jump on the Mustangs. Kate Howell came out swinging set one with 6 kills and 1 block. The Mustangs were able to string together a few points, but the Gators were very aggressive, earning 17 of their 25 points with kills, blocks, and aces. The Gators prevailed 25-13. Set 2 went the Gator way as well as the Gators jumped to a 16-2 start; however, their guard slipped slightly with some miscues and attacking errors allowing the Mustangs to score on Gator errors, but the Gators closed it out 25-11. Tori Mekash and Katie Langaas had 3 service aces from

the back line, and Langaas and Alyssa Wahl each had 4 kills to lead the Gator attack, however, there were 6 different players scoring in this set. Impressively, the Gators earned 21 out of their 25 points with very aggressive serving and hitting. Set 3 was all Gators as they earned 20 out of 25 points. Strong serving racked up 9 service aces and out of system serving kept the Mustangs from getting swings, so the Gators marched to a 25-8 win. Madison Truscinski stepped up had had a great rope of serving blending 4 aces and out of system serves. Tori Mekash came out swinging as well with 4 kills. In a balanced attack, Katie Langaas led the Gators with 11 kills and 4 service aces, Kate Howell chipped in 10 kills and 2 blocks, Tori Mekash added 8 kills and 6 aces, and Alyssa Wahl contributed 5 kills and a block. Shanyce Bishop had 12 assists, and Andrea Burkel and Morgan Anderson each had 9. Mariah Modahl ate up the Mustang

attackers from the back row with 16 digs. Fertile-Beltrami was next on the agenda, and they came ready to play. The Gators struggled to get the block set against strong Falcon middles and outsides, so none of the

Falcon rockets were slowed down for the back row diggers. The Gators ping ponged back and forth and kept a 9-9 tie, but the Falcons turned it up and got several 4 point swings and the Gators had no answer losing 16-25. The Gator attack never had a chance to get started; however, that would change for set 2. The Gators came out aggressively as they jumped to a 10-4 lead. Volleyball is a game of momentum, and point swings come and go quickly. The Falcons took advantage of the Gator lull and got it back to a one point game at 16-15. Two critical Gator serving errors gave the Falcons a boost as they clawed their way into the lead at 22-21. Gator mental toughness came through again as the Gators won the next 3 consecutive points and crushed the ball on game point to win 25-23. Several Gator hitters turned it on as they scored 16 kills in this set. The Gators earned 19 of their 25 points. Set 3 decided which team was going to the championship round, and all fans in the gym got their money’s worth. The

Gators found themselves in trouble from the start at the Falcons put up 10 points in a row as all Gator passers and attackers struggled to get anything going. It looked like this set was going to be handed over to the Falcons as the Falcons were up 18-10 at a critical point in the set, but the Gators can never be counted out as they have proven a few different times that they can turn on the switch and battle back even when it seems impossible. A strong serving stretch by Mekash and Langaas put the Gators right back into the game at 20-20. Mariah Modahl was making BIG plays from the back row as she was hitting the floor and hunting down the ball. The Gator had great opportunities and pull up 23-20, so it looked like all they had to do was shut the door; however, the Falcons stepped up to the challenge and won the next 4 points. This is where it got a little interesting. The battle to the championship began… The Gators

missed a critical serve to win the set, and attack errored to bring it to a 26-26 tie. The Falcons would get a clean look at the Gator back row as there was no block and they pulled ahead 27-26, but Langaas got hungry was fed the ball the last three points and the Falcons couldn’t shut her down. The Gators earned 5 of the last 7 points in kills, getting the job done to win 29-27 and earning their way to the championship again. In a long 3 set match, Langaas again led the way with 18 kills and a block, Howell added 10 kills, a service age, and 3 big ace blocks, and Mekash chipped in 7 kills, a service ace,

and 20 digs. Modahl had 80% serve receive passing and 17 digs. Shanyce Bishop and Andrea Burkel each had 20 assists.

Warren-Alvarado-Oslo came out on top in their pool, so this was a quick rematch for these competitors with the Gators having the upper hand as they defeated the Ponies 3-0 the previous week. The Ponies were looking for the rematch as they came out strong and kept the Gators scrambling to stay in the contest. Pony diggers were all over the back court, keeping the Gator hitters from scoring. The Ponies jumped to a 14-10 lead. As been the trend, the Gators came from behind to make it a contest, tied it up 19-19, kept it a little interesting by missing three critical serves late in the set, but regrouped and relied on their serve receive passing to set up a first ball attack and get the win 25-20. Mekash, Langaas, and Paige Taggart led the way with 5 kills each in the first set. Set 2 was a challenge as

well. The Gators led the Ponies dictate the game and defense seemed too relaxed as the Gators started watching the ball hit the floor. Obviously, this can’t become routine at varsity level, so the Ponies took advantage of Gator complacency and jumped to a 9-5 lead. The Gators turned it up a notch to gain a 18-15 lead, but again, let the Ponies take over and found themselves down 19-22 at the critical point in the set. The Gator grit pulled through yet again (however, we do need to change our mindset that playing from behind is fun) and closed out the set 25-23. The Gators jumped to a 9-5 Gator lead and finally started reaching every milestone in the set. With a 16-7 lead, the Gator guard dropped again, and the Ponies were flying on the floor to save the ball and battle point by point to close the gap pulling to 16-20, but the Gators again fed the ball to Langaas at the end and won 25-15. The Gator attack was led by Katie Langaas with 11, Tori Mekash turned it up and was striking hard on top of the ball to finish with 9 kills and 10 digs, and Paige Taggart played a really solid middle using her smart court vision to score 9 kills. Andrea Burkel recorded 19 assists followed by Bishop with 13. Modahl had 16 digs in the match. The Gators played well enough to win and the coaching staff saw a few things happen on the floor that they have been waiting for, so gains were made. The tenacity to battle back when they are down and to come out with a win is

something that will be valuable come post season where anything can happen. The Gators are a dangerous team with many weapons and can never be counted out, and as this tournament demonstrated, there are several players ready to step up and contribute. United We Win.

October gets more grueling for the Gators, so they will have to fine tune and up their level of play as every opponent keeps getting hungrier; however, the Gators have some pretty big goals as well, and this season is shaping up nicely. With a little luck and A LOT of hard work, the best volleyball is yet to come. “There are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going” will be the practice motto for the rest of the season. Red Lake Falls prevailed over RLCC to earn 5th place honors in 5 sets; Grygla-Goodridge took Fertile-Beltrami in 5 sets for 3rd place. The Gators travel to Red Lake Falls to take on the Eagles on Monday and look forward to a rematch with Roseau Thursday, October 3.

Gators Sweep Eagles With “nothing hits the floor” as the goal, the Gators swept the Red Lake Falls Eagles September 30 in 3. With a slow start in set 1, the Gators played tag back and forth as neither team was putting consistent points on the scoreboard. The Gators did manage to get a string to go up 12-11 but still played lax defense at times. Katie Langaas had the hot hand with 8 kills the first set, and several Gator hitters were aggressively pursuing the ball bringing the Gator attack to 17

kills in the first set alone. Even though the Eagles were tagging along on the scoreboard the entire set, the Gators closed it out 25-23, too close for comfort and not decisive enough for Coach Dahl. Set 2 was sharper as the Gators claimed every 5 point milestone in the set. Kate Howell had 11 serves in a row giving the Gators a 17-8 edge. Gator hitters were swinging hard and trumped their first set kill number with 18 in this set, winning 25-16. The Gators came out strong in the final set of the night going up 7-2 right away. Even though they flew through their rotations early on, they managed to get a couple strings later to close out the set 25-19.

The Gator attack was led by Katie Langaas with 19 kills and a block, Kate Howell with 9 kills and 14 digs, and Tori Mekash with 7 kills and 13 digs. Morgan Anderson came up big on the right side with 2 solo blocks, 3 digs, and 4 assists, and Mariah Modahl found the target with 81% serve receive passing and 18 digs on the night. Shanyce Bishop ended the night with 26 assists; Andrea Burkel chipped in 15 assists

Because of some consistent passing, the Gator attack was set up to swing, and attackers really used the floor to score with unpredictable placements. The Gators played to win; however, there were still a few balls that could have been saved with more effort and the Gators need to get more mileage out of each server versus only scoring 1 or 2 every time they have the ball.

Gators Struggle with Rams A much anticipated rematch between the Gators and Rams proved to be a significant let down. The Gators were unable to capture any of the milestones in the first set, played a lot of defense, and never really got the Gator attack going. The Gators got down 5-11 early on but clawed their way out to be down 12-13. Ram hitters were swinging with all their worth and kept the Gator defense scrambling and making any form of a Gator attack difficult. Costly net violations, poor passing, and poor blocking were problematic and never corrected throughout the night. The Gators managed to get up 19-18 late in the set; however, they couldn’t hold the Rams as the Rams scored 7 to 2 to win the set 25-21. Momentum was hard to come by in set two as the Gators didn’t put points on the scoreboard. The Rams had several strings, and the Gators struggled to get more than 2 points at a time. Tied 17-17, the Gators struggled to close out the set and continued to make mistakes losing 22-25. Set 3 was over before it started. It looked like the Gators just stopped playing. The Rams hitters manhandled the Gators. With only 5 kills on the set, it was an embarrassing 25-12 decision. The Rams came ready to play, played scrappy, scrappy defense, and swung aggressively and hard. The Gators were unable to raise the bar and play at a higher level, resulting in a 0-3 loss.

Complacent play caught up with the Gators as they hadn’t played consistently for a few matches, so this loss was a tough one, but a valuable lesson as well as the Gators must play hard ALL the time and “never, never, never give up!”

Katie Langaas had 12 kills and 2 blocks, Tori Mekash had 8 kills, 8 digs (78% digging on the night) and the lone Gator service ace on the night, and Kate Howell had 6 kills and 15 digs. Shanyce Bishop had 19 assists and Andrea Burkel had 14 assists.

The Gators have an opportunity to redeem themselves Monday versus a tough Grygla-Goodridge team and will finish the season with a rigorous schedule with Warroad, Sacred Heart, the Frostbite Tournament, KCC and Freeze all left on the calendar. The Gators will have to up their game to beat the best, and the road doesn’t get any easier. Refocus, regroup, and reload-----It’s Gator Time!

Gators Rebound

and Sweep

Chargers

The Roseau loss left a bitter taste for the Gators and provided a spark to take care of business. The Gators came out strong against a strong

Charger team, one whom they went 5 sets with earlier in the season. The Gators marched to a 5-2 start in set 1 but didn’t use their rotations as best they could during the middle, only scoring a couple points in a row. Tied 18-18 late in the set, the Gators closed it out in style winning 7 points with 6 of them earned to finish 25-20. Six different hitters recorded kills in the set with great passing from back row specialists, Mariah Modahl and Tori Mekash. The Gator block finally came alive as blockers did a great job getting big hands above the net to slow down the hit for the back row or to direct back into Charger territory. The fire continued into set 2 as the Gators pulled out an early lead but allowed the Chargers to work right back into it. The Chargers hung around until 12-14 and then the Gators came out on all cylinders scoring 11 points in a row and winning the set 25-12, a remarkable showing of grit and persistence. The pace continued as the Gators were aggressive in the final set of the night as well. Paige Taggart turned it on from the right side with 4 kills, leading the Gator attack in the set. The Gators served tough and kept the Chargers out of system, allowing the Gators to win 25-14. Playing at a consistent high level is tough, and this was a complete match for the Gators. They were sharp, disciplined, and hungry, traits that will be valuable as the regular season comes to a close.

Katie Langaas led the Gator attack with 11 kills, 5 blocks, and 1 ace; Tori Mekash with 8 kills, 3 service aces, and 16 digs, Kate Howell with 7 kills, 1 ace, and 7 digs; Paige Taggart with 6 kills, and Alyssa Wahl with 4 kills and 1 block.

Andrea Burkel had 19 assists and 2 service aces, and Shanyce Bishop had 12 assists and 2 service ace.

Modahl and Mekash played a rock solid back row with 60% and 58% serve receive passing and 64% and 62% digging. Modahl had 9 digs.

Gators Claim Victory Over Warriors

Even though the Gators swept the Warriors in 3 early on in the season, a second meeting is always more interesting against this team. The Gators got the edge the first set

as they came out strong when Tori Mekash put the first 6 points on the board with out of system serving. The Warriors got frustrated immediately and were passing on net. Katie Langaas took care of business and scored 3 back-to-back tip kills, scoring 9 kills in the first set alone. The Gators found their rhythm of 3 points in a row and closed out the set 25-17. Set 2 was quite ho hum at the beginning as neither team was putting together points in a row. Langaas continued to dominate the front row as the Warriors couldn’t shut her down. The Gators marched to a 21-15 lead; however, the Warriors came out of a timeout swinging. They went 4 points to the lone Gator point to pull within reach, but the Gators were able to claim the victory 25-21. The Gators couldn’t maintain in set 3. They struggled scoring points in a row, so the set ping ponged back and forth. A 5 point string to lead 19-14 just wasn’t enough as the Warriors came on strong and the Gator block just couldn’t shut down the Warrior hitters, in fact, there wasn’t a single Gator ace block on the night. The Gators lost the spread with a few careless mistakes and dropped the set 23-25. This provided more ammunition for a much improved Warrior team. The Warriors put points on the board early and the Gators were down 3-9. With several skilled hitters, the Warriors had not answer for Kate Howell and Katie Langaas who scored 6 and 5 kills in the set respectively. Mental toughness and determination is what this team is all about, so they came on strong and put up 12 points in a row to a Warrior 1 and clawed back into the set 23-20. This time the Gators closed it out, winning 25-23. The Gators squeaked by with a win and relied on some solid play both offensively and defensively, some great fine-tuning for the

Gator game.

Katie Langaas was on fire scoring 27 kills; Kate Howell added 16 kills, 2 service aces, and 16 digs, Tori Mekash had 9 kills, 2 service aces, and 23 digs, Alyssa Wahl scored 6 kills.

Shanyce Bishop recorded 26 assists and 1 ace, and Andrea Burkel

contributed 21 assists and an ace.

Mariah Modahl was all over the backcourt and had 67% serve receive passing and 22 digs.

Another 3-0

Sweep The Gators got a second look at Sacred Heart October 11 and were able to keep the sharp shooter Stacy Remer at bay. Despite missing 3 serves early on, tough Gator serving dismantled the Eagle team as they were unable to attack and fed the Gators free balls. Gator hitters were striking the ball hard and finding holes in the Eagle defense, and the Gator block was highly effective as the Gators had 9 ace blocks on the night. Jumping to an early 15-8 lead, the Gators had no problem closing out the set 25-13. Set 2 was a similar story. Tori Mekash had a rope of 9 service points in a row to give the Gators a 10-3 edge. The Gators continued their streak as they piled in another nice 5 point rope to go up 17-6. Sacred Heart did manage a late scoring spree, but the damage was already done, and the Gators prevailed 25-16. Changing up the Gator line up proved to be too far out of the team’s comfort zone as the Eagles clawed their way into the do or die third set. The Eagles kept the Gators scrambling and teams were tied 15-15. The Gators charged ahead to

pull up 22-17; however, the Eagles scored 5 to a Gator 1 to come within 1 point late in the set. The Gators finally kicked it into gear to finish 25-23. The Gator triple threat was led by Katie Langaas with 14 kills and 2 blocks; Tori Mekash added 8 kills, 4 aces, and 8 digs; Kate Howell had 7 kills, 2 blocks, and 5 digs. Alyssa Wahl stepped up against the Eagles with 4 kills and 3 ace blocks, and Mariah Modahl scrapped up 14 digs from Gator territory. Shanyce Bishop had 18 assists, and Andrea Burkel compiled 13 assists and a service ace.

Champions!

Gators Win All 3 Season Tournaments for

the First Time EVER!

In a marathon of a tournament, the Gators marched to their third tournament championship this season by winning the Frostbite Classic. Pool play started with Red Lake Falls, and the Gators came out sharp and swinging. Gator serving kept the Eagles out of system as they struggled to attack the Gator defense. The Gators marched to a 19-10 cushion and then closed the set 25-14. Set 2 was much the same. Katie Langaas proved to be a problem for the Eagles as she had 7 kills in the set and 1 block, and Morgan Anderson jumped for all her worth to get many touches on Eagle hits. The Gators won 25-14. Several Gators hitters were effective, Alyssa Wahl and Morgan Anderson had 2 blocks each, and Andrea Burkel and Tori Mekash each had 3 service aces. Mekash and Modahl ate up the Eagle attacks with 15 and 11 digs respectively.

Stephen-Argyle was next on the agenda, and the Gators got down from the start but battled back to make it a game. Kate Howell had the hot hand with 7 kills in the first set followed by Langaas with 6. The Storm and Gators traded points back and forth throughout and went into the last phase of the set tied at 20 apiece. After back to back costly

Storm service errors, the Gators took the gift to win 25-22. Tori Mekash was the spark in set 2 scoring 6 kills. The Gators piled on points to get a 20-13 edge, but some lackadaisical play allowed the Storm back in. The Gators earned 5 of the last 8 points to win 25-20.

Closing out pool play, the Gators faced Mahnomen, a rematch of the championship of the Pony Invitational. The set was pretty evenly matched as both teams were attacking aggressively and digging up the ball. Howell and Mekash each had 5 kills in the first set, and stifling Gator

defense eliminated big runs. It was a battle back and forth, but the Gators closed it out 25-21. Set 2 favored the Gators early on—it was Langaas’s turn to swing away as she racked up kills. The Gators got up 18-13, but failed to shut the door quickly, which can be costly against a tough Indian team. The Indians clawed back within 2, but Shanyce Bishop stepped up to the service line and hammered away the 5 remaining points to seal the deal 25-21. Bishop ended the match with 13 assists and 3 service aces. The dynamic defensive duo of Mekash and Modahl was in prime form with 10 and 8 digs in Gator territory. Kate

Howell also played some solid “D” with 11 digs and looked sharp offensively helping the Gator attack with 8 kills.

Pool play just fueled the fire for the Gators as there was still lots of volleyball to be played—the Gators impressively finished all tournament play in 2 sets and kept up a pretty quick pace throughout the matches. Resulting from consistent passing from the back row, the hitters were able to swing away. In the first round of tournament play, the Gators faced Warren-Alvarado-Oslo. Mekash set the tone with solid out of system serving and kept the Ponies scrambling to return. The Gator hitters came out hungry and aggressive. Despite missing three serves, the Gators pushed points and got up 23-12; however, some careless mistakes gave the Ponies a few extra points until the Gators finished 25-16. Set 2 was all Gators… The Gators jumped to a 9-0 start and crushed the ball. The Ponies struggled to pick up the Gator attack, and the Gators just kept on swinging. The Gators won a decisive 25-9. The Gator block was highly effective with Katie Langaas scoring 3 ace blocks and Paige Taggart getting her hands on 2 ace blocks. Howell led the charge with 11 kills and Langaas added 8 kills.

Next up was the Freeze. The Gators hadn’t seen the Freeze since the third match of the season. The scoring was inconsistent back and forth. The Gators served tough but weren’t able to string points in a row. The Freeze kicked it in gear and had the Gators by 6 points, but the Gators got tough in the home stretch and were able to sneak a win 26-24. Kate Howell had two big ace blocks and a nice kill to end the first set as well as 6 kills. Ropes were a priority in set 2. Bishop started the set with 5 serves in a row, then Mekash added another 4. Modahl did a nice job reading Freeze hitters and racked up 10 digs in the match. The Gators had a cushion at 21-15 but decided to make it interesting allowing 3 Freeze points. The Gators shut the door 25-19.

Championship round was against the tournament host team, the Grygla-Goodridge Chargers. Despite a long wait, the Gators were rip roaring to go and came out strong, celebrating huge as Katie Langaas started the game with a block and 5 kills in the first 8 points. Tough serving again was an asset for the Gators as the Chargers were kept scrambling, and the serve

receivers handled the tough Charger serve exceptionally well. Mekash had 89% serve receive passing in both sets, a season best. The Gators had a nice 20-13 lead, but the Chargers came on strong at the end racking up 4 points in a row—the Gators held off 25-20. Resiliency is a strong trait of this Gator team, and set 2 put that trait to the test. The Gators got down early 3-7 and it seemed to be a clear Charger victory. Appearances are deceiving at times, and down 16-21, the Gators put on one heck of a show to claw their way right back into the set. Perseverance is the key and controlling the chaos is necessary in volleyball. Confident Gator play to close out the set was memorable—they knew they would win, and win they did 28-26. The triple threat was led by Howell with 9 kills, Langaas added 8 kills, 2 aces, and a block, Mekash chipped in 8 kills and 19 digs. Bishop had 18 assists, and Andrea Burkel added 7 assists and an ace.

Everything seems to be gelling and coming together for this Gator team. Many of the early season issues have been corrected, and they are playing some sharp, sharp volleyball. “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.” The road doesn’t get any easier, and many teams have the Gators on their radar. Success doesn’t just happen, you have to work for it, and the Gators have the mentality to work hard all the time. Good luck and “Eat ‘Em Up!”

Gators Down Bearcats

In a rapid fire October schedule, the Gators got their first look at KCC on home territory. The Gators played with intensity from the start and almost maintained that passion the entire night. Three early serving misses were costly, but other Gator servers stepped up to pick apart the KCC serve receive. The Bearcats kept scrambling to get their footing as a strong

Gator attack and hardnosed defense continued to make play after play. The Gators missed the 5 milestone, but managed to gain every other 5 point increment throughout

the first set. The Gator block was back as Alyssa Wahl got big for 2 ace blocks in the first set, and Katie Langaas and Kate Howell each had a solo block for a point. The Gators ended with a decisive 25-17 finish. The momentum didn’t stop there as the Gators used their fire to jump all over the Bearcats in the second set, getting a quick 16-6 advantage. The Gators kept pouring it on as sharp shooters were deadly from the service line with several players getting an ace. The Gators won handily 25-14. The Bearcats kicked it up a notch in set 3 and had the Gators on the ropes. It was a set of swings, and the Bearcats finished the set well. Langaas had 7 kills in the set, and Tori Mekash chipped in 5, and although the Gators had opportunity to win, up 25-24, they just didn’t get it done, dropping the set 26-28. Obviously this didn’t sit well as the Gators came out swinging in the 4th and final set. Kate Howell was on fire with 9 kills, and the Gators came out on top during several of the long extended volleys. Andrea Burkel had the hot hand from the service line and hammered the last 6 points, 3 of them being aces adding to her impressive 9 service aces on the night. The tempo and pace of this match was fun to watch, and the Gators played a solid match offensively and defensively. Mekash and Modahl were sieves in the back row, several Gator blockers were successful at the net with a team 8 ace blocks, and the Gator attack was going strong.

Kate Howell stepped up to lead the Gator attack with 21 kills and 9 digs; Katie Langaas added 17 kills and 2 blocks, Tori Mekash added 10 kills, 2 aces, 2 blocks, and 19 digs. Shanyce Bishop had 23 assists; Andrea Burkel had 20 assists and 7 aces. Mariah Modahl played an impressive back row with 26 digs and shut down several Bearcat hitters.

With so many threats, this Gator team has the potential to be incredibly deadly. The Gators close out the regular season at home versus the Freeze on Monday, October 21. This is also our special senior night where we recognize the commitment and dedication of all our senior volleyball athletes. The regular season end is approaching,

but the journey is far from over. Gator Nation: Let’s cheer LOUDLY for our Gators as the march to the post season. We are ONE.

Refocus and Reload

In the final home contest of the regular season, the Gators had considerable ups and downs. The Gators played a rock solid first set and relied on some well placed out of system serving to keep the Freeze guessing and scrambling. Three out of four of Shanyce Bishop’s first serves were aces, and this set the tone for the first set. The Gators jumped to nice 13-6 spread and stayed aggressive throughout the first set, taking advantage of the

Freeze inability to get their offense going. 25-9 was the outcome. Set 2 looked to go the Gator way as well when Katie Langaas had a string of 8 serves in a row to give the Gators an 11-4 advantage. Unfortunately, the Gators started to let up, and this just added fuel to the Freeze offense. The Gators lost some composure and the lead exchanged hands at the 15 point mark, so the Gators were down 15-17. Finally, the Gators managed a couple three point strings to claw their way to a 23-21 lead and managed to close out the set 25-23. Despite a 2-0 lead going into the third set, intensity and momentum shifted and stayed with the Freeze for the rest of the match. While the Gators played very hesitantly in set 3, the Freeze were blocking well at the net and frustrating Gator attackers. Freeze

diggers were all over the floor stealing kills, and the Gators never found the rhythm to return the favor. Tied 10-10, the Freeze manhandled the Gators as they went 11 points to a Gator one to win 25-14. The Gators continued to struggle in set 4 as the Freeze defense plagued the hitters and the Gator defense struggled to get big hands on the Freeze attack. The Gators missed two serves early on in the set and were unable to score points in a row when they had the ball. Ball control was a little iffy as passes were right on the net or incredibly far away, and communication wasn’t consistent. Freeze hitters stayed aggressive and ate the Gator blockers alive as they kept hitting through or on the side of the block, so many balls were untouched and barreling into Gator territory. The Gators found themselves down 11-18 and weren’t able to bounce back, something that they have consistently done this season. They lost the set 19-25. In the deciding set, the Gators continued to grapple with basic fundamentals. Each time the Freeze had the ball, they scored more than one point, so the Gators got down 3-10 and faced insurmountable odds in the short set. The Gators never found any rhythm and didn’t make any corrections to the Freeze offense and lost 9-15. This reality check before tournaments will stoke the fire as the Gators refocus and reload. Tournament time is here, and we gave ONE goal that can only be met ONE game at a time. Players, parents, fans, WE ARE ONE, so Gator Nation, be LOUD and PROUD this tournament season. Goooooo Gators!

We are ONE!

IT’S OUR TIME!

"The Joy of the Journey is in the

Ride!"

The Gators started the post season journey against the Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Ponies in the play in game. This would be the third meeting between the two teams, so both were well aware of the other’s strengths and weaknesses. The first set started very tentatively for the Gators. The Gators earned every milestone in the set, but weren’t hitting the ball hard, so the Ponies had no problem digging. Three costly serving errors were problematic as the Gators were giving away points. Katie Langaas had the spark with 5 kills in the set, but the Gators played too many tippy tappy balls over the net versus full swinging to keep the Ponies honest. Morgan Anderson had the lone ace block in this set, and the Gator back row was pretty rock solid. The Ponies made four point run late in the set to close within 3, but the Gators were able to hold off the charge to win 25-20. The first set jitters wore off in a hurry as the Gators found their rhythm in set 2. The Gators marched to a quick 5-1 start and didn’t look back. Alyssa Wahl had a great night at the net and had 6 kills in this set alone. Kate Howell and Katie Langaas also had 6 kills in the set each, giving the Gators 19 kills in the set. Tori Mekash got hot from the serving line with 4 aces in this set. The Gators plowed ahead to win 25-7. The Gators kept the momentum in set 3. Mekash kept serving aces and earned a 6-0 cushion. The Ponies kept the Gators in sight and kept getting mini ropes to stay within striking distance. The score was tied 12-12. Playing a complete match, Kate Howell was on fire with 7 kills in the set and had

some great digs in the back row. Paige Taggart had some nice offspeed shots throughout the night and finished with 3 kills. The Gators found some ropes of their own to finish the set 25-17. The Gators played a consistent match as each player contributed to the win, something essential for tournament time. We are ONE.

The Gator attack was led by Kate Howell and Katie Langaas with 14 kills a piece. Alyssa Wahl had a big hitting night with 9 kills and 1 ace block. Shanyce Bishop had 21 assists followed by Andrea Burkel with 15 assists and 2 service aces. Both Mariah Modahl and Tori Mekash had 15 digs (75% digging each) in the back row, and Mekash had 7 service aces and 6 kills on the evening as well; Howell also had one of her best back row digging nights with 17 digs.

The Gators move forward to take on the Northern Freeze the late game on Tuesday at Northland Community and Technical College. The Gators lost to the Freeze the last match of regular season, so the Gators are eager for redemption. Both teams are tournament ready, so it should be a great match. The Gators will need to stay sharp, disciplined, and hungry. Stay LOUD Gator Nation and CHEER on your Gators one game at a time! The journey continues…

Gator Attacks on the Rise

Although the Freeze beat the Gators in 5 in the final match of regular season, the Gators were hungry for tournament play. The Gators came ready to play and played some of their best defensive volleyball of the season. Although the Gators didn’t earn as many kills in set 1, their serving was rock solid as they kept the Freeze out of system and preyed upon Freeze errors. The Gators pushed a 13-7 cushion and then extended. Gators were looking to serve tough and keep the threat of Allyson Dahl in the back row, which they

did successfully most of the night. Up 24-12, the Gators let a few too many points go by at the end to finish 25-16. Set 2 was close at the start; however, with the goal of every milestone all night long, the Gators pulled through yet again. Up 10-6, the Freeze put a string of points together to be down 1, but the Gators flipped the switch and got down to business. Paige Taggart had several off speed hits that kept the Freeze scrambling as well as an ace block, and Alyssa Wahl had 3 solid kills that penetrated the Freeze defense as well as an ace block. The Gators marched to 20-13 and then Kate Howell ended set 2 with 5 tough serves to seal the victory 25-14. Eleven out of system serves again were the main weapon, and Gator hitters were swinging hard. Howell stepped up on serve receive to complete 10 perfect passes as the Freeze tried to avoid Mariah Modahl and Tori Mekash. Modahl and Mekash played clean up in the back row as

nothing was hitting the floor; each had 15 digs on the night. After a sluggish start in the third set down 1-6, the Gators clawed their way out of the deficit to earn the rest of the milestones 10, 15, 20, and 25. Morgan Anderson had the play of the night as she dove, parallel to the floor to pop up an off speed shot, an insanely tough defensive play. Modahl also played on fire as she saved a ball headed into the bleachers and gave her best effort to put it back into play. Katie Langaas had a long serving rope of 6 back to back serves with 2 aces, and both Howell and Langaas were swinging at will at the net. We are ONE, and it was fitting that everyone stepped up and contributed to get the win. The Gators played tough all night long and never, never, never let up. Passion and desire cannot be coached---they come from within, and this Gator team has both. Tournament time is the perfect time to play at a new level, and the Gators have high expectations for the post season.

Kate Howell led the attack on offense with 13 kills followed by Katie Langaas with 10 and 2 service aces. Shanyce Bishop had 19 assists and 3 service aces and Andrea Burkel added 7 assists and 2 aces to the mix. Mekash was 86% serve receive passing and Modahl had 63% digging on the night.

The Gators advance to take on WEM, the defending section champions. The Gators will have to play their very best to have a shot at this team, but they are hungry and determined---a deadly combination.

ONE UNFORGETTABLE

SEASON!

Taking on a 3 time defending section champion proves to be seemingly impossible; however, the Gators never backed down and gave their very best effort to pull the upset but just fell short to push extra sets. Even after a rocky start down 2-7 in set 1, Gator grit and stubbornness came into play and they battled hard. The Gators fought to get back into the game, but always found themselves down and just couldn’t get enough of a momentum shift to make it a game. The Gators were down 10-11 but started playing ping pong and WEM pounded the ball at the Gator defense. Blockers had a tough time getting touches, and the pace was coming a 100 miles an hour for the back row diggers. Kate Howell did a nice job swinging hard at the WEM block and fired 6 kills in the first set, but the Gators just couldn’t crack WEM’s play and lost 20-25. With only 5 out of system serves and a few costly mistakes, the Gators would have to find a new level to compete. The Gator game plan was to ATTACK and never back down against this team, and the Gators followed this plan all night. Set 2 is always a clean slate, and the Gators came out firing and captured the first 3 milestones. The Gators were up 16-12, but with two experienced hitters, WEM went to their guns Shelby Kaster and Korbyn Ross and got right back into the contest. WEM attackers changed up their shot selections to new locations and new speeds which kept the Gator defense off guard. It was a race to the bitter end. Howell used the WEM block to deflect out of bounds, and Katie Langaas had 4 kills to help out the Gator effort, but it was not enough to close out the set as Gators were up 23-22 when WEM had 3 back to back kills to steal the set 25-23. The Gators had been down 0-2 before and would have to make their miracle

happen in the third set. The set was tight and back and forth early on. Tied 11-11, WEM found a new gear and continued to feed their weapons. The Gators got into a hole at 14-19 but kept fighting for every point they got but playing from behind makes any game difficult. Gator defense worked hard to return the ball every time they could get to it. Down 16-21, it seemed to be a cakewalk to the section final for WEM, but this Gator team never says die and gave their best effort to pull within 1, 23-24, but WEM fed their strongest hitter, Kaster, to bury the ball and seal the victory. The Gators lost 23-25 and finished their season with a 26-4 record, the best finish in Gator volleyball history.

Kate Howell led the Gator charge with 15 kills, a service ace and 9 digs. Tori Mekash topped out her final match with 9 kills, 1 service ace, and 14 digs. Katie Langaas finished with 7 kills and an ace block. Andrea Burkel gathered 14 assists, and Shanyce Bishop added 11 assists to her career.

Although this match didn’t end the way we wanted it to, the Gators should hold their heads high as they played tough and gave their very best. What more can you ask for? When faced with a challenge, there is only one option---you rise to it, and this is exactly what the Gators did. They played with grit, toughness, and heart, but the ending just didn’t go our way. The season journey has come to an end, but the life journey continues on, and there were many life lessons gained this season. “You are stronger than you think you are…” “Never, never, never give up…” and “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. It’s the hard that makes it great!” to name a few. Closing this season has been REALLY hard----but in reflection, it’s also been REALLY GREAT. We have had a talented team come together, play hard, and stay invested in their TEAM and their goal for an entire season---they were ONE! “Even when you've played the game of your life, it's the feeling of teamwork that you'll remember. You'll forget the plays, the shots, and the scores, but you'll never forget your teammates.” Thank you for ONE UNFORGETTABLE SEASON! It was the very best! WE ARE ONE!

“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. It’s the hard that makes it great!”

A League of their Own Pig Tail Results

WAO defeated Climax-Fisher 23-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-17 Red Lake Falls defeated Sacred Heart 25-13, 25-19, 25-22 Play In Results

BGMR defeated WAO 25-20, 25-7, 25-17 Freeze defeated Stephen-Argyle 16-25, 25-3, 25-17, 25-22 KCC defeated Grygla-Goodridge 18-25, 20-25, 27-25, 25-20, 15-8 WEM defeated Red Lake Falls 25-15, 25-21, 25-10 Quarter Final

BGMR defeated Freeze 25-16, 25-14, 25-12 WEM defeated KCC 23-25, 19-25, 25-13, 25-15, 15-8 Sub-Section Championship

WEM defeated BGMR 25-20, 25-23, 25-23 Section Championship

WEM defeated Fosston 25-11, 25-19, 25-20

2013 Gator Volleyball Letter Winners Morgan Anderson, Andrea Burkel, Alyssa Wahl, Tori Mekash, Shanyce Bishop, Katie Langaas, Kate Howell, Mariah Modahl, Paige Taggart, Tiana Watson, Amanda Gram

One Consistent Server… Shanyce Bishop

One Serving Ace… Tori Mekash

One Speedy Gator Mariah Modahl

One Wicked Hitter Katie Langaas

One Secret Weapon Kate Howell

One Tough Defensive Player Mariah Modahl

Gator Award Shanyce Bishop Prime Time Player Award

Tori Mekash Minnesota Academic All State Award

Andrea Burkel, Shanyce Bishop, Kate Howell, Katie Langaas, Tori Mekash

Mad Gator Awards

Morgan Anderson……...………One More 10 Touch Andrea Burkel………………One Tube of Mascara Alyssa Wahl……………….…One Blonde Moment Tori Mekash……One “This is Harassment” Memory Shanyce Bishop………One Smelly Set of Kneepads Emily Anderson……………One Jet Plane Approach Katie Langaas…………………One Wicked Swing Kate Howell…………….……One Tweet at a Time Mariah Modahl……….…One Set of Pearly Whites Madison Truscinski………..…….One Deadly Serve Paige Taggart……..……One Miley Cyrus Wannabe Tiana Watson…….One Accident Waiting to Happen Coach Schultz………..One will this ever work demo Coach Koebernick………..…One Fine Shade of Red Coach Dahl……….………Miracle: One More Time

Northern Lights

Conference

2013

“You don’t always get what you wish for…You get what you work for!”

Badger/Greenbush – Middle River:

All Conference: Shanyce Bishop, Tori Mekash, Kate

Howell, Katie Langaas, Mariah Modahl

Grygla/Goodridge-Gatzke

All Conference – Miranda Schulz, Courtney Boutain,

Shantel Verbout

Kittson County Central:

All Conference –Britta Rynning, Macy Westerberg,

Lexi Turn

Honorable Mention: Nichole Kraska

Northern Freeze:

All Conference: Allyson Dahl

Stephen – Argyle:

All Conference: Kelsey Lingren

Honorable Mention – Carly Safranski

Warren – Alvarado – Oslo:

Honorable Mention –Ariana Porter

One Dream

1,000 Assist Milestone

Thunk, thunk, thunk! Her journey has not been easy, but Shanyce worked relentlessly on her touch and earned her spot in history as one of Gator Volleyball’s top setters. A player with discipline, determination, and desire, she knows what it takes to be great. Shanyce has immense passion for the game, but even more passion for her teammates. It has been a privilege having Shanyce in our program. Congratulations on such a BIG milestone for such a short setter!

Gator Volleyball

500 Kill Club (Career Kills)

Kierah Kimbrough (2001-2004)…….………………………975

Jessica Dvergsten (2006-2009)…………………………..…859

Katie Langaas (2011-2013)………………..…..…………….744

Erin Efta (2007-2010)…………………………..……..………695

Kate Howell (2011-2013)……………………..………………650

Tori Mekash (2010-2013)………………….………………….612

Tessa Monsrud (2008-2010)…………………………………577

Kaley Mekash (2004-2006)………………………….……….573

1,000 Assists (Career Assists) Vanessa Dvergsten (2007-2009)…..…………..………..2,264

Shanyce Bishop (2010-2013)…………………….……….1,117

Can You Dig It? (Career Digs) Tori Mekash (2010-2013)……………………………..………507

Serving Ace (Career Aces) Mikaela Janicke (2008-2010)…………..…..…………..…..123

Vanessa Dvergsten (2007-2009)………..………..………..113

Tori Mekash (2010-2013)……………………………………..112

Jessica Dvergsten (2006-2009)……..………………………108

Hannah Berg (2005-2007)………………….…………….……97

Elizabeth Schenkey (2005-2007)……………..……………...92

“Don’t go through life without having a ball!”

A Stroll Down Memory Lane… Past Gator Volleyball All Conference Players

1993 2004 Jessica Borgen Missy Bruggeman Sara Melby Kierah Kimbrough Krissi Super 2005 1994 Kaley Mekash Krissi Super 2006 1995 Kaley Mekash Jessica Borgen Krissi Super 2007 Hannah Berg 1997 Elizabeth Schenkey Tiffany Hagen Anna Wicklund Stephanie Sparby 2008 1998 Jessica Dvergsten Kelsey Foldesi Vanessa Dvergsten 1999 2009 Sara Peterson Eiley Berg Jessica Dvergsten 2000 Vanessa Dvergsten Sarah Peterson 2012 2001 Shanyce Bishop Katie Borgen Katie Langaas Tori Mekash 2002 Katie Borgen 2013 Kierah Kimbrough Shanyce Bishop Kate Howell 2003 Katie Langaas Kierah Kimbrough Tori Mekash Jody Schmalz Mariah Modahl

One Last Hurrah

“The joy of the journey is in the ride.” Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better …..

it did. Thank you for your COMMITMENT to our program, your UNCEASING work ethic,

your positive attitudes ALL the time, and your willingness to put the TEAM FIRST EVERY TIME. I have been sooooo incredibly blessed to have each one of you on my team. Thank you for always giving me your best effort and for rising to every single challenge—I know this wasn’t always easy. I am sooo proud of you, and I have enjoyed this journey much more than you will ever know!

You have worked incredibly hard for this, and I do hope, years from now when you look back at what this season was all about, you remember your teammates, the laughs, the “outside of your comfort zone” moments, the hard work and persistence, team camps, the bus rides, the team trips, and your success in that order. Perhaps this will mean more to you than a blue ribbon, although, I wanted that for you too! Although we didn’t meet our goal, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE A STATE TEAM TO ME! You are the VERY BEST!

I’m not fond of saying goodbye, so I’ll say good luck instead… You have an arsenal of skills to be successful in life---go out and attack it, savor every minute, and make your own magic. Keep your fire, your desire, your passion! Believe in yourself and demand excellence! Your life journey continues…………………………eat it up!

Your #1 Fan Always…

Hold the Rope Every year a professional football team wins the NFL championship. Every year a

college SOFTBALL team wins the NCAA title. Every year the best high school team

from Division A on down wins the state crown. All these teams have one thing in

common. No matter how tough it became throughout their season, they did one thing --

they held the rope!

What is "holding the rope?" Imagine that you are hanging from the edge of a cliff with a

drop of twenty thousand feet. The only thing between you and a fall to your death is a

rope, with the person of your choice on the other end. Who do you know that has the

guts to pull you to safety? Who will hold the rope? Who do you know that is going to

let that rope burn their hand and not let go? How many people that you know are going

to withstand the burning pain and watch the blood drip from their hands for you?

If you can name two people, that's not good enough, because those two people might

not be around. The next time your team is together, look around and ask yourself, "Who

could I trust to hold the rope? Who is going to let their hands bleed for me?" When you

can look at every member on your team and say to yourself that they all would hold the

rope, you are destined to win a lot of ball games. You see, the team that holds the rope

when the going gets tough wins. When you are down by two runs with half an inning

to play, don't give up. Yell at your teammates to "hold the rope -- let it burn but don't let

go!"

Every year there are winners and losers in all sports. Every year the winners hold the

rope. You don't have to have the best team on the field to win the game. If you play

with poise and do what your coaches ask of you, and most of all -- hold the rope -- you

will be successful. No matter what sport you play, in order to win, you have to have a

commitment to your team. If you are supposed to run three times per week, do it. If you

have to lift weights three times per week, don't miss. Once you start letting up at

practice or start missing your workouts, you've killed the team because you didn't hold

the rope!

When you can look at every member on your team and say to yourself, "they would

hold the rope for me", you are destined to compete for a championship!

This team….. had the best team concept I have ever seen! You would hold the rope for each other….

NO REGRETS!

“Even when you've played the game of your

life, it's the feeling of teamwork that you'll

remember. You'll forget the plays, the shots,

and the scores, but you'll never forget your

teammates.”

WE ARE ONE!

Used with permission from Thoele Photography