MINNEAPOLIS — The Ellsworth volleyball team traveled to Minneapolis Sept. 30 to take on the Lions in an NCAA league doubleheader. The Bearcats made it a clean sweep over the Lions by winning both matches 2-0.

In the first set of the night, Ellsworth found themselves behind early as Minneapolis jumped out to a 4-1 lead. Aided by a couple of kills from senior Lexi Moore, fellow senior Jo Lindsley reeled off the next nine service points to give the Bearcats a 9-4 advantage before giving the serve back to Minneapolis, with the score at 9-5.

As the two teams traded serves several times, with Ellsworth keeping the Lions about 3 to 4 points away, it was time for one more Bearcat run. This time, it was sophomore Kinly Place serving, as Ellsworth finished the set with a 6-0 run and won the game 25-14.

In the second set of the first match, the two teams battled to a 6-6 tie before Ellsworth began to slowly and methodically pull away, finding themselves with a 17-10 lead. From that point on, Minneapolis cut the deficit down to 5 points two different times, but it wasn’t enough, as Ellsworth held on for a 25-19 win.

In the opening set of the second match of the night, Minneapolis jumped out to the early 6-1 lead, holding on to it until Ellsworth tied the game at 10-10. After a 12-12 tie, the Bearcats went on a 6-0 run, making the score 18-12 and giving them their biggest lead of the set.

The Lions fought back, however, pulling to within 2 points at 19-17, but it wasn’t enough, as the Bearcats outscored Minneapolis 6-3 the rest of the way to win the set by a score of 25-20.

In the second and final set of the nightcap, the two teams battled hard with displays of powerful offense, tough defense and tense volleys. With neither team gaining a lead of more than 3 points early in the set, the teams fought until the score reached 12-11 in favor of Ellsworth. It was at that point that the Bearcats used a 6-0 run, behind the serving arm of Lindsley, to outscore the Lions 13-4 to win the set 25-15.

Stat leaders included: Lindsley — 16 service points, 3 kills, 4 blocks, 9 digs Moore — 17 kills, 8 blocks Place — 15 service points, 7 kills, 23 assists, 14 digs Senior Kelli Rodriguez — 21 digs, 10 service points Senior Elyse Haxton — 8 kills, 19 digs Senior Reagan Hansen — 14 assists, 7 digs.

The Bearcats are currently 23-6. They will host Southeast of Saline Oct. 14 for Senior Night.

Photos by KAREN BONAR/Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter