THe Big Lake Hornet volleyball team has been busy this fall season.

Albany Tourney 

On Fri.,, August 22, the Hornets played a tournament in Albany and finished with a 1-3 record.

In pool play, Big Lake lost to Watertown-Mayer,  19-25, 21-25 and Big Lake lost to Sauk Centre, 15-25, 15-25

In the tournament playoffs Big Lake beat Maple Lake, 26-24, 22-25, 15-13 then lost to Osakis, 20-25, 25-22, 10-15.

Stats for the tournament: Ashley Fitzgibbons - five kills, 43 assists, 22 digs; Madison Reed - six ace serves, two blocks, 17 kills, 13 digs; Brooke Moshier - two ace serves, three assists, 20 digs; Adelle Nomeland - two blocks, 11 kills; Iva Sanchez - nine kills, seven assists, 12 digs; Aiyana Baker - 10 kills, four digs; Taylor Kipka - 10 kills; Kam Tschritter - two kills, 16 digs; Aubrey Trulock - two kills, 18 digs.

“The early bird tournament is a great way to play against some strong volleyball teams that we don’t see during the season,” said Head Coach Alisha Brust. “The girls stayed competitive all day, and figured out quickly the things they needed to improve on early in the season.”

Although they went 1-3, Brust’s team played three really competitive matches that helped test their resiliency and mental toughness in close scoring matches. 

“We have multiple girls that can put the ball away, and it was nice to see the kill distribution for the tournament,” she said.

Vs. Annandale

On Tues., Aug. 26 Big Lake lost 18-25, 25-23, 17-25, 17-25 to Annandale.

Stats: Aiyana Baker - six kills, two blocks; Iva Sanchez - three kills, 10 digs; Adelle Nomeland - six kills; Lauren Ulven - two kills; Madison Reed - nine kills, three blocks, five assists, nine digs; Aubrey Trulock - 11 digs; Kam Tschritter - three ace serves, two assists, eight digs; Ashley Fitzgibbons - four kills, one block, 27 assists, 13 digs; Taylor Kipka - five kills; Brooke Moshier - seven digs.

Vs. Mound Westonka

On Thurs., Aug. 28, the Hornets lost to Mound Westonka, 20-25, 17-25, 25-27.

Stats: Brooke Moshier - three ace serves, three digs; Kam Tschritter - two ace serves, two digs; Aubrey Trulock - seven digs; Ashley Fitzgibbons - six digs; Madison Reed - nine digs, seven kills; Iva Sanchez - 17 digs, five kills; Aiyana Baker - five kills, one block; Adelle Nomeland - two kills; Taylor Kipka - six kills; Ashley Fitzgibbons - 24 assists, six digs.

“The girls are playing great volleyball in spurts,” said Brust. “Once they start minimizing unforced errors, they will find more success. We have really pushed playing aggressive. Now it is finding the balance between when to swing aggressively and when they need to reset and play defense.”

Vs. Saints

On Thurs., Sept. 4 Big Lake took home a win over St. Francis, 25-19, 25-19, 25-21.

No stats were available at this time.

“This was not only a good conference win but a good section win for us as well,” said Brust. “The team did a great job of staying focused and getting the win. I am proud of the progress they have made.” 

The Hornets have a tough schedule ahead with Delano (ranked #2 in state poll) and Princeton this week. 

“The team is enjoying the challenging schedule and they know that this will help them prepare for a playoff run,” said Brust.