Volleyball: Irish rebound from loss to South to sweep Kennedy

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The Rosemount volleyball team rebounded from a 3-0 sweep at the hands of Lakeville South last Tuesday by sweeping Bloomington Kennedy 25-20, 25-18, 25-18 last Thursday in Bloomington.

Despite missing Meghan Schuster and Haley Zweber due to injuries, the Irish surpassed their season-long goal with a side-out rate of over 61 percent as they evened their record at 6-6.

“This takes solid passing, smart setting and patient hitting,” Rosemount coach Smokey Vitek said. “We played solid all the way around, as well as consistent.”

Brittany McLean led a balanced offensive attack with nine kills. Ellie Vraa and Erin Slinde each added six kills and Justine Buckmister contributed three blocks.

The Irish hung with Lakeville South early on in all three games last Tuesday, but Vitek said the team’s lack of confidence came to the forefront as the Cougars pulled away by scores of 25-18, 25-15 and 25-16.

“We started strong and it was definitely a match we could have won. But as soon as they pushed us a bit we backed down and began giving away points,” Vitek said. “We really struggled with our confidence. Much of it has to do with the inexperience of the team.”

Despite the struggles, though, Vitek is pleased with the effort her team is putting forth.

“The girls have stuck together as a team and they continue to work hard and improve,” she said. “They are a strong young group.”

Slinde led the way against South with six kills and a 31-percent kill rate. Duff had seven kills and Brittany Morrison led the team with nine digs.

The Irish host Apple Valley tonight at Irish Gym.