Mavericks leave Kenosha with three wins

The Minnesota State Mavericks return from a long weekend after participating in the Parkside Hampton Inn Tournament. 

They began play at 8 a.m. on Friday, September 10 against Quincy University. As the game began the Mavericks quickly fell behind prompting a timeout by head coach, Corey Phelps. As the team’s ambition grew so would their overall score. The Mavericks took the lead late in set one 21-15 but the last four points were a struggle to earn. The Hawks suddenly came up and almost tied the score, however, the Mavericks still managed to take the win, 25-23. 

The second set was a devastating loss as the Hawks took control early and did not look back. The Hawks won set two with the score of 25-15. 

Set three was a battle of back and forth but ultimately the Mavericks would fall short and lose the battle, 25-19. 

The next two sets were close but the Mavericks pulled ahead on each winning both the sets and eventually the game 25-22 and 16-14. 

“Although I’m not thrilled we went five (sets) again, our ability to play under pressure continues to improve.” Said Minnesota State head coach Phelps. “We need to do a better job at making our opponents earn their points while attacking in every phase of the match.”

The wish of not going into five sets was granted during the next matchup between the Colorado Christian Cougars. At the beginning of sets one and two, it became another back and forth battle but the Mavericks, once again, came back to take it away 25-17 and 25-16. 

Set three was a hard game to watch as the Cougars ran the board quickly resulting in a 25-13 point win. 

However, the Mavericks were invested in winning the next set. The Mavericks defeated the Cougars with an overwhelming score of 25-15. Which allowed the Mavericks to walk away with another game victory. 

Heading into the next day, the Mavericks felt proud of their success and wanted to come out stronger. Their first matchup of the day was against Lake Superior State, the second time they have faced them this season. The first set was close, however, the Mavericks could not quite take the win 20-25. 

In the next two sets, Minnesota State dominated the playing court, winning each set 25-70 and 25-13. 

The Lakers tried coming back in the fourth set but it was the Mavericks who pulled out on top by a score of 25-20.

The Mavericks last game of the tournament was against the Parkside Rangers. The Rangers came out strong as they took control of the first two sets, winning them 25-14 and 25-21. 

The third set saw the Mavericks come up with some determination as they got up quick on the Rangers with a 10-3 lead. The Mavericks continued to keep their distance and put away the Rangers 25-17 in set three.

The possible last set of the tournament was underway and each team was determined to win. The score was kept close but the Rangers were able to pull ahead and defeat the Mavericks 25-22. 

“It was a disappointing finish to an otherwise fairly solid tournament” head coach Phelps noted at the end of day two. He continued as he said, “We have work to do but, we are looking forward to starting conference play next weekend at home.”