NYM in a four-way tie for second place in PRC

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

Believe it or not, the New York Mills Eagles have just three games and a tournament remaining on their regular season schedule. After an action-packed regular season, the Eagles played Parkers Prairie on Monday night, before hosting Wadena-Deer Creek on Thursday and will travel to Henning next Tuesday to wrap up their conference season. The team will wrap up their regular season with a tournament in Underwood next Thursday.

Last week the Eagles defeated Brandon-Evansville 3-1, before edging the Menahga Braves 3-0 to improve to 12-8 overall and 3-2 in the Park Region Conference. 

The Eagles are currently tied with Verndale, Sebeka and Bertha-Hewitt for second place in the PRC with a conference record of 3-2. All four teams trail Wadena-Deer Creek who are 5-0 in conference action. 

Tuesday

Ayla Olson was virtually unstoppable on Tuesday night as the NY Mills junior tied the school record with 30 kills and had 17 digs on the defensive end of the court as the Eagles defeated the Brandon-Evansville Chargers by a score of 3-1. Olson tied her older sister Kali Olson for the school record with 30 kills in one match, doing so in just four games. 

The Eagles dropped the opening game of the night by a score of 25-22, before cruising to a 25-17, 25-20, 25-17 wins in the final three games to come away with the non-conference win.

In addition to Olson’s solid night at the net, the Eagles were led by Alayna Baune with 8 kills and Grace Brasel with 5 kills. 

Gabi Vaden finished with a team-high 27 digs and 3 ace serves, while Hailey Korkowski finished with 31 assists. 

Thursday

NY Mills improved to 3-2 in the Park Region Conference with a 3-0 win over Menahga on Thursday night. 

Prior to the start of the game, the Eagles honored Ayla Olson for her 100th career ace, while the coaching staff and players honored the NY Mills senior class. The team also recognized the elementary volleyball players in-between the JV and varsity games.

The Eagles were able to come away with a pair of close wins to open the match by scores of 25-22 and 25-22, before coming away with a 25-18 win to secure a 3-0 win. 

Olson led the way offensively with 13 kills, while Alayna Baune finished with 7 and Grace Brasel finished with 5 kills of her own. Olson also led the team in digs with 14, while Haley Korkowski finished with 13 digs and a team-high 17 assists. 

NYM vs. Brandon-Evansville

SERVING: Kalyn Balbach 1-2, Grace Brasel 23-23 (2 ace), Ayla Olson 11-11 (1 ace), Alivia Preuss 3-4, Belle Vaden 16-16 (1 ace), Gabi Vaden 21-22 (3 ace)

KILLS: Haley Korkowski 3, Alayna Baune 8, Grace Brasel 5, Ayla Olson 30, Annika Dunrud 2, Alivia Preuss 1

BLOCKS: Alayna Baune 4, Ayla Olson 1, Annika Dunrud 2,  Alivia Preuss 3

ASSISTS: Haley Korkowski 31, Alayna Baune 1, Ayla Olson 9, Annika Dunrud 3

DIGS: Kalyn Balbach 5, Haley Korkowski 12, Alayna Baune 2, Grace Brasel 12, Ayla Olson 17, Annika Dunrud 1, Belle Vaden 8, Gabi Vaden 27

NYM vs. Menahga

SERVING: Alise Schornack 3-4, Kalyn Balbach 2-4, Haley Korkowski 15-16 (1 ace), Grace Brasel 11-11 (1 ace), Ayla Olson 12-14 (1 ace), Annika Dunrud 2-3 (2 ace), Belle Vaden  6-7 (1 ace), Gabi Vaden 12-13

KILLS: Alayna Baune 7, Grace Brasel 5, Ayla Olson 13, Annika Dunrud 2, Alivia Preuss 2

BLOCKS: Alayna Baune 2, Grace Brasel 1, Ayla Olson 1, Alivia Preuss 1

ASSISTS: Alise Schornack 1, Haley Korkowski 17, Ayla Olson 5, Annika Dunrud 3, Chloe Costin 1

DIGS: Alise Schornack 2, Kalyn Balbach 4, Haley Korkowski 13, Alayna Baune 2, Grace Brasel 14, Ayla Olson 9, Annika Dunrud 1, Belle Vaden 5