Sweeping the Competition: Sauk Rapids-Rice Defeats Brainerd

Continuing their undefeated conference streak, the Sauk Rapids-Rice Storm won in three quick sets against the Brainerd Warriors on September 18th. The Storm has a 6-0 conference record and an overall record of 11-1, making them the team to beat in the Central Lakes Conference. Below are players who helped rank up points for their team.    Lambaere makes her presence known while she is on the court. Offensively she has a fast transition off the net to put herself in the best position to make a play on the ball. She approaches quickly while staying behind the ball and has a fast swing getting the ball around the defense. Her ability to perform multiple shots allows her to continuously score for her team. Her blocking technique and foot work allows her to read the hitter effectively. While blocking she has strong hands getting multiple stops and touches to slow down the ball for her team to make a play. As a server, she has a strong jump-float serve that is hard for the opposing serve receive to read. Passing, Lambaere has fast feet and a strong platform, controlling the ball to her setter. She is an all around player an team would be lucky to have.     Meinert's hustle and dedication during every play puts her in the position to get many touches and keep the ball alive. As a libero, she takes over the court with her communication and positivity towards her teammates. By reading the opposing offense, Meinert puts herself in a position to get the ball up in a controlled manner. Her platform control and endurance creates numerous attempts for her teammates to make plays, especially during long rallies. Serving, Meinert gets the ball over the net quickly and changes up location to catch the opposing serve receive off guard. Meinert is a tough player to swing around and makes it difficult for any team to effectively score.     Peterson has a strong presence on the court. She has a big swing and a big block challenging the opposing team to get around her. Her quick approach off the net sets her up to run multiple routes and get up early to attack. Her communication on the court pushes her teammates forward and creates successful plays. Peterson swings quickly to each sideline and gets around blockers. By reading the opposing defense she switches up shots to find empty court. Defensively her ability to swiftly get to the pins to block hitters creates a chaos for her opponents. Peterson is always ready to cover hitter and make the next play.     Anderson has a swift and strong approach to the ball allowing her to get on top of it and perform a multitude of shots. Her ability to read the defense and make a successful play by working around them racks up points quickly for her team. She communicates early when in serve receive, gets her feet to the ball, and uses her platform control to get the ball up to her setter. Anderson's jump serve causes chaos for her opponents and provides many freeballs for her team to make a play. Her dedication and hustle make her a key player during every play.     Marketon's ability to get to the ball quickly allowing her to use her hands creates extreme success for her team. Her ability to read her opponent's offense, transition quickly to defense and release to set generates strong and fast plays. Her platform control on out of system balls sets up her offense to make an aggressive play. Her control of the ball when setting her hitters, allows her to run multiple routes and change up her offense, which in turn, leads to the opposing defense to struggle. Marketon's positivity and selflessness on the court creates a strong team atmosphere.

Continuing their undefeated conference streak, the Sauk Rapids-Rice Storm won in three quick sets against the Brainerd Warriors on September 18th. The Storm has a 6-0 conference record and an overall record of 11-1, making them the team to beat in the Central Lakes Conference. Below are players who helped rank up points for their team.