Eagles fall to Vikings in five games in Section 6A thriller
Sports | Published on November 5, 2026 at 11:59pm GMT+0000 | Author: Kendall Koenen
0By Chad Koenen
Publisher
The New York Mills Eagles came just points away from knocking off 16th seeded Pelican Rapids in the opening round of the Section 6A tournament last Monday night. The Eagles came into the tournament as the 17th seed, but took Pelican Rapids to the brink after falling just 25-21 in the opening game of the night.
The Eagles fought back in a big way in the second and third games by winning 25-23 and 25-21 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
In an extremely competitive fourth game, Pelican Rapids was able to hold off NY Mills in extra points as the Vikings tied the match up with a 26-24 win to send the opening round game to a fifth and decisive set.
The Vikings used the momentum gained in the close fourth game win by securing a 15-7 win and won the match by a score of 3-2.
“What a match. It really was an even match throughout. Both teams played with heart and determination. I’m very proud of how our girls played both offensively and defensively,” said head coach Steve Dunrud. “We hoped that it would be a close match and it was! There were lots of great plays made by both squads as they fought to keep the ball off the floor on their side of the net. The effort that both teams played with was exceptional.”
The Eagles were led offensively by Ellyana Ruther who finished with 12 kills and 19 digs, while Alivia Preuss finished with 12 kills of her own. Talli Schmitz led the way with 20 digs and Chloe Costin took control of the net as she finished with four blocks. Also chipping in for the Eagles was Abby Berndt who finished with 17 digs and four ace serves, while Costin led the team with six ace serves of her own.
The loss ended the Eagles season with a record of 3-24 overall.
ASSISTS- Talli Schmitz 20, Julie Seim 14, Emilia Maunumaki 1, Aria VanOrsdel 1
KILLS- Aria VanOrsdel 2, Alivia Preuss 12, Ellyana Ruther 12, Chloe Costin 7, Alise Schornack 6, Talli Schmitz 1
DIGS- Talli Schmitz 8, Alise Schornack 4, Chloe Costin 1, Julie Seim 9, Ellyana Ruther 19, Aubree Salo 7, Emilia Maunumaki 1, Aria VanOrsdel 2, Sawyer Anderson 3, Abby Berndt 17
BLOCKS- Chloe Costin 4, Alivia Preuss 1
SERVING- Talli Schmitz 18-20 (2 ace), Alise Schornack 10-11 (2 ace), Chloe Costin 18-21 (6 ace), Julie Seim 17-17 (1 ace), Ellyana Ruther 9-12 (1 ace), Sawyer Anderson 2-2, Abby Berndt 18-19 (4 ace)