Superlarks show fighting spirit in loss to top-ranked Mabel-Canton – Austin Daily Herald

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Grand Meadow's Hallie Hendrickson prepares to set up against Mabel-Canton. Rocky Hulne/[email protected]

Haylie Paul guards the Superlarks' goal on Tuesday. Rocky Hulne/[email protected]

Grand Meadow's Kendall Jack hits against the Mabel-Canton front line on Tuesday at GM. Rocky Hulne/[email protected]

Grand Meadow's Gracie Foster attacks the goal against Mabel-Canton on Tuesday at GM. Rocky Hulne/[email protected]

GM's Lauren Queensland tackles Mabel-Canton's Kailey Ingvalson (8) and Saijal Slafter (16) on GM Tuesday. Rocky Hulne/[email protected]

GRAND MEADOW – Even when the going got tough, the Superlarks held on against the No. 1 ranked Class A volleyball team, losing to Mabel-Canton 25-18, 25-19 and 25-19 in GM play on Tuesday night.

GM (2-3 overall) built a 15-10 lead in the first game but couldn't hold on to it, and the Cougars went up 11-2 in the second game before GM fought back to 23-19. GM was also able to get within 19-17 in the final game thanks to a kill from Gracie Foster.

“Last year when we were in a slump, we let it all out. Tonight we were able to get out of that slump,” said Foster, who finished with six kills. “It was a huge confidence boost for us to be able to work our way out of those holes and we're all pretty happy with that.”

GM head coach Matt Roesen said he was pleased with his team's performance against a tough opponent. The Superlarks have a lot of experience on their side this season and he expects the team to improve as the year goes on.

“I think we learned something about ourselves and can't rest on our laurels. We won all three sets,” said Roesen. “We still have some things to work on, but we're getting better with each game. I'm so proud of this team and we've become more experienced this year.”

The Cougars (9-0 overall) were relentless and rarely gave up easy points, making GM work hard for every point in the game.

“It shows how much commitment and time they put in,” Foster said of the Cougars. “They trust each other and communicate all the time, which is fantastic. They all work really hard.”

GM Stats: Hallie Hendrickson 22 assists, 7 digs; Lauren Queensland 2 kills, 10 digs; Cheyenne Bakken 11 digs, 1 ace; Alyssa Peterson 2 digs; Rylee Schaufler 3 kills, 9 digs, 1 block; Kendall Jack 7 kills, 2 digs, 1 block; Haylie Paul 4 kills, 9 digs, 4 blocks, 1 ace; Gracie Foster 6 kills, 3 digs.

MC Statistics: Sahara Morken 32 assists; Kailey Ingvalson 4 kills; Saijal Slafter 8 kills; Hope Erickson 4 kills; Kinley Soiney 16 kills, 3 aces.

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