Volleyball

      "The Aitkin JO teams had a busy weekend. Here's a look at the results.

13U-Traveled to Pierz Saturday and competed in a tournament with 12 teams. They advanced to the top tier of bracket play and fell just short of making the Championship match. This team gets better every time they step on the court. They are a group of hard-working athletes, and it will be exciting to see how they do in Pequot Lakes on April 11th. It has been a great season so far for them. Coach Heather Rikala, Hailey Shereck, Natalie Stueven and Abby Presto have been coaching and doing a great job."

14U-"Traveled to Mountain Iron-Buhl Saturday to compete in the 14's division of the Humma Hyah tournament. The tournament is in honor of former Hibbing coach Gail Nucech, who has the second most overall wins in MSHSL play in volleyball. This team competed in a 15-team tourney during a very long day of volleyball. They got there at 8:15 and didn't leave until 6:15. They played six matches during the day and didn't lose a set all day. They worked hard through frustrations and exhaustion in the end! In the Championship match against Mesabi East they were down 21-19 and came back to win 25-23. They were unbeaten throughout the day and came home with the Championship. They have two tournaments left in their season."

16U-2-"Traveled to Greenway on Saturday to compete in the 16's division of the Humma Hyah tournament. They also played six matches and came home with the Championship medals. They played all day with just six players, not having one player on the bench to give anyone a break. This team is full of determined players who battled back from behind in some sets and found a way to win. They had some great hustle plays and came back from a 10-1 deficit to win 16-14. They finish their season April 12 in Pequot Lakes."

16U-1-"Traveled to Pierz on Sunday to compete in a 16-team tournament. They started out a little sleepy but woke up and gave their fans a show. They showcased some new sets and had the crowd entertained. They moved on to the top bracket play after placing first in their pool. They took on Foley in the semifinals. The first set was neck and neck with Aitkin dropping the set 25-21. They won the second set 25-10 and finished strong to win the third set 15-13 putting them into the title match against Big Lake. Aitkin was down 21-19 and after a crucial timeout came back to win the first set 25-22. They came out in set number two on fire and took the set and the match 25-14. They have their final tournament on April 12 in Pequot Lakes."

      The Aitkin 16U-2 JO volleyball team started their season off great with a 3-0 record in pool play last weekend that placed them in the Gold Division. Their first match in the bracket was a nail-biter, but they came up a few points short and ended their day 3-1. Back row is Payton Anakkala, Leah Palm, Kenzie Klee, Grace Hoppe, Elsie Kyllonen and Natalie Wenzel. Front is Paityn Hawkins and Aubrey Edwards. Coaches are Noelle Jones and Lydia Fellerman. (Info from Janice Hawkins)

     The Aitkin Gobbler volleyball team gave out their season awards Sunday at their post-season get-together.

Team Overall Academic GPA 3.88

Team Ace-Gabi Price-43 aces

Finisher (Most Kills)-Madyson Burgstaler-177

Sharp-Shooter (Most Efficient Attack, (Kills/Attacks)-Kate Palm-29%

Maestro (Most Assists-Gabi Price-387

Guardian (Most Digs)-Abbey Presto-360

Enforcer (Most Blocks)-Maddy Burgstaler-40

Clutch (Best Serve %)-Haley Shereck-93%

2025 Season Stats

Digs

360-Abbey Presto

228-Natalie Stueven

195-Taya Hawkins

183-Haley Shereck

 95-Allie Goeritz

Aces

43-Gabi Price

42-Haley Shereck

27-Taya Hawkins

19-Madyson Burgstaler

17-Haley Shereck

Kills

177-Madyson Burgstaler

119-Taya Hawkins

118-Natalie Stueven

101-Kate Palm

 98-Haley Shereck

Blocks

40-Madyson Burgstaler

25-Gabi Price

20-Kate Palm

15-Zoey Van Camp

 8-Haley Shereck

Assists

387-Gabi Price

155-Allie Goeritz

 36-Abbey Presto

 16-Taya Hawkins

 13-Natalie Stueven

      The Aitkin Gobblers knew they had a tough assignment in the opening round of Section 7AA play at Greenway but that didn't stop them from giving it a great effort in a three-set loss to the Raiders. The loss ends the season for Aitkin, finishing 8-19 while the Raiders move on to the next round.

Set #1

This was the set of the match. It included 12 ties and a host of highlights. It was tied at 2-2 before the Gobblers got a point on a long return and then an ace by Madyson Burgstaler to make the score 4-2. The Raiders moved back out front at 10-8 when Burgstaler scored on a kill to close it to 10-9. It was 14-12 Raiders later when a winner by Kate Palm made it a one-point score. She had another winner to get within 15-14 and after it was tied at 16-16 the Raiders moved ahead 19-17. Again, the Gobblers rallied and when Taya Hawkins hit a ripper for a point it was tied at 20-20. It was tied at 23-23 and again at 24-24 after another kill by Hawkins. Aitkin made it 25-24 with a point off Hawkins' serve but the Raiders made it 25-25 and then scored the final two points of the set to get the win.

Set #2

This one was tied at 3-3 until Aitkin scored off the serve of Natalie Stueven. The Raiders tied it then took a 6-4 lead before another kill by Hawkins. Greenway led the rest of the set and didn't let the Gobblers any closer than four points as they stretched out the lead and won the set.

Set #3

Aitkin fell behind 5-0 early until a net serve and a kill by Gabi Price made it 5-2. Greenway continued to up the lead until a kill by Tika May closed it to 11-8. Later in the set a winner by Hawkins made it 17-13 Raiders, but the Greenway kept the winners coming and went on to close out the set and the match.

Stats by Alyx

Kills-Taya Hawkins-12, Madyson Burgstaler-9, Kate Palm-4

Digs-Natalie Stueven-14, Abbey Presto-8, Haley Shereck-6

Aces-Madyson Burgstaler-1

Blocks-Gabi Price-3, Madyson Burgstaler-2

Assists-Gabi Price-24

Gobblers 25 14  17

Raiders    27 25 25

The Coach-"We came out strong and fought for a tight first set but lost in extra points. Greenway got the momentum and finished the next two sets for the win but not without several great streaks that kept them on edge. I am proud of this team, and it has been an honor to be their coach this season. We will miss our great group of senior leaders moving forward. I look forward to supporting these athletes in the upcoming sport seasons this school year."

The Players

Haley Shereck-"I'm very sad that the season is over. We worked our tails off and put our hearts out on the court and it won't happen again. I'm grateful for every opportunity I got and the family I've made over the years is irreplaceable."

Natalie Stueven-"It was a good season, and I couldn't be prouder of the girls on this team. We have built a family within the few months of playing together and I will carry that with me for the rest of my life. We played well tonight."

Madyson Burgstaler-"It was the best season I've had on varsity yet. I couldn't have ended my high school career with a better group of girls, and I am so thankful for them and the season they gave me."

      The Aitkin Gobbler volleyball team takes on Greenway Wednesday in the opening round of the Section 7AA Tournament. The 8-18 Gobblers are the #7N seed and will play the #2N seeded Raiders in Greenway. The regular season stats are in and here's a look at how the Gobblers did.

Kills

168-Madyson Burgstaler

116-Natalie Stueven

108-Taya Hawkins

 97-Kate Palm

 95-Haley Shereck

Assists

363-Gabi Price

155-Allie Goeritz

 34-Abbey Presto

Digs

347-Abbey Presto

213-Natalie Stueven

189-Taya Hawkins

170-Haley Shereck

Aces

43-Gabi Price

42-Natalie Stueven

27-Taya Hawkins

18-Madyson Burgstaler

17-Haley Shereck

Blocks

40-Madyson Burgstaler

23-Gabi Price

17-Kate Palm

14-Zoey Van Camp