Attacking the Competition: ROCORI Battles Against Sauk Rapids

Although the ROCORI Spartans lost the battle against the undefeated Sauk Rapids-Rice Storm, they effort, dedication, and skill did not go unnoticed. The Spartans has a relatively young, yet strong team that will only continue to gain recognition in upcoming seasons. Below are the Spartans' players that turned heads against the Storm.    Boos shows her dominance and power no matter where she is located on the court. Her sharp and fast swing gives her an advantage against her opponents by catching them off guard. She can easily work around the block and make the defense move causing them to scramble. Boos' blocking footwork allows her to align with the hitter and take up space. Defensively in the back row, she reads the opposing team and move to put herself in the best position to make a play. Her positivity and dedication to her team allows them to push forward no matter the score.     Hesse owns the back row like no other. Her quick feet allow her to hustle and make plays others would not attempt. She is quick to read the opposing team's setter and hitters to transition into defense and adjust to where the ball goes. Hesse is conditioned to to stay low and quick during long rallies making few errors. She communicates early on serve receive and beats the ball to its destination with time to angle the pass right to her setter. Overall, her platform control and disciple to the game puts her team in a position to fight.     Satterstrom will stop at nothing to get her hands on the ball and make a play. Her court awareness and where her hitters are located allows her to set her team up for success. She moves around her offense and is able to create multiple routes for her hitters allowing them to surprise the opposing defense. Satterstrom is loud and communicates with her teammates. Her placement on out of system balls allows her to run backrow offense or her pin hitters in a way that creates a powerful and aggressive play.     Hern is a brick wall at the net and bring energy to the rest of her team. She has fast blocking footwork and strong hands that puts the ball down. By reading the hitter she is able to place herself in a strong position to get a touch or block the ball. Offensively, Hern approaches quickly and swings hard to sidelines, getting the ball down. She reads the blockers and defense and will tip and throw when needed to catch them off guard.     Lommel has a sharp swing and high approach, allowing her to attack the ball high, get around blockers and put it where the defense is not. Her ability to run multiple routes keeps blockers on their toes and forces them to read her swing. She transitions quickly off the net consistently, putting herself in a position to approach and be an option. Lommel is always positive and smiling no matter the score, encouraging her team. All around, she is a strong force at the net, making her presence known, and causing chaos for her opponents.     Labine has amazing communication and control when setting to her hitters. Her court awareness allows her to adjust each set as needed to put it in a position for her hitters to be successful. She moves quickly and gives herself time to square her hips to the net and use her hands to control the ball. Labine has good platform control with out of system balls, getting the high and off the net to her pins or back row players. Defensively, she has good platform control and is able to pass the ball up to her libero to make an aggressive play at the net.     Hodgins has fast feet and great platform control. She watches the opposing offense closely and strategically places herself to make plays. In serve receive, she reads the server well and can get to the ball with enough time to angle her shoulders and platform to her setter. She is always ready to cover hitters and hustle to make an out of system play. Her dedication and disciple bring trust among her teammates creating clean plays during rallies.

Although the ROCORI Spartans lost the battle against the undefeated Sauk Rapids-Rice Storm, they effort, dedication, and skill did not go unnoticed. The Spartans has a relatively young, yet strong team that will only continue to gain recognition in upcoming seasons. Below are the Spartans' players that turned heads against the Storm.