Sue Sitter/PCT Panthers at their home net last week against Rolette- Wolford.

After TGU’s Lady Titans scored 2 unanswered points in game 1 of their set against Rugby’s Varsity girls’ volleyball team in the RHS gym Thursday night, the Lady Panthers got their groove going.

“We started off a little slow at first, but then we kind of got our groove going and got into our own rhythm, and it made a big difference,” said Varsity Coach Jessica Fritz. “I kind of preach that to the girls. You’ve got to play your game, all the time. Stay focused. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing; we’ve got to be ready all the time.”

The Blessums Maria, Brooke and Sarah added to already impressive totals in kills, aces, blocks and digs.

“They have a chemistry that’s kind of unique to us, and they’ve done great things for us, and I can’t say enough good about them,” Fritz noted.

“We have so many great players. They just bring a chemistry that bonds the whole team together. They bring out the best in everybody, which is what we needed,” she added.

The Lady Titans’ Jaidyn Brummond pulled off impressive blocks against Rugby’s onslaught, but through it all, the Lady Panthers kept smiles on their faces.

“Our girls go out there and they have fun. I preach, ‘If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right.’ Whether you’re winning or losing, you just have to find the good in everything,” Fritz said.

The 3-0 Rugby victory against their fellow Region 6, District 11 team adds to their impressive 18 win total so far for the season. The Lady Panthers face fellow Region 6, District 11 team Drake/Anamoose in the RHS gym Tuesday.

Kills for Rugby went to Maria Blessum (18), Brooke Blessum (9), and Anni Stier (4).

Anni Stier scored 5 aces, while Brooke Blessum and Brianna Leier each scored 3. Brooke Blessum came in with 4 blocks, and Maria Blessum scored 4 digs. Sarah Blessum scored 32 assists.

TGU’s Jaidyn Brummond and Mackenzie Woodall each scored 3 kills for their team, while Sidney Keller scored 2. Sidney Keller and Jaidyn Brummond each scored 1 ace, and Jaidyn Brummond scored 2 blocks. Brooke Bailey came in with 1 dig, while Neeleigh Wollenzien came in with 8 assists. Emma Dragseth scored 1 assist for the evening.

Winning ways continue

Rugby High’s varsity girls’ volleyball squad marked another victory last week when they shut out the Rolette/Wolford Comets 3-0, but the win didn’t come without a fight.

The Lady Comets started off in their first game of the set with a 3-1 lead, returning Rugby’s spikes and volleys for points of their own. However, the Lady Panthers soon caught up and dominated the first two games.

Rolette/Wolford seemed to rally at the beginning of game 3, as they paced RHS point for point, falling behind by only one in the first few minutes of the game. However, at halftime, the Lady Panthers led 13-2, and the Lady Comets would only score 6 more points before the game’s end.

“We started off a little slow at times, and made a lot of errors the very first set, and Rolette/Wolford was able to capitalize on those,” Fritz told the Tribune. “They’ve got some great things going, and it was beneficial to us, and to them to get one to one, back to back competition.”

“Tonight, it seems like the girls just kind of gave up on themselves, got down on themselves,” Rolette/Wolford Comets coach Mike Medrud said. “I think they will pick it back up, and we’ll see with the regular season.”

Medrud added, “So far this season, we’re actually doing fairly well. We’ve got some really close games.”

The Lady Comets logged 3 kills for Shelby Johnson, 2 aces for Baylee Mora, 7 blocks for Brenna Boucher and 4 blocks for Maria Leonard. Keiara Grant tallied 28 digs, while Maria Leonard had 25. Baylee Mora scored 6 assists.

The Panthers racked up more than 30 kills for three players: Maria Blessum scored 15, while Karsyn Hager and Brooke Blessum each scored 7. Kelly Swanson and Maria Blessum each had 4 aces for the night. Anni Stier and Brooke Blessum each scored 1 block, and Anni Stier and Maria Blessum each logged 3 digs. Sarah Blessum rounded out the team’s stats with 25 assists.