NEW ULM — Fresh off a straight-sets win over Class AAA No. 2 Willmar on Friday, the fourth-ranked Marshall volleyball team continued its early-season momentum on Saturday with another sweep of Class AA No. 4 Belle Plaine at the Big South Cross-Over event. The Tigers won with set scores of 25-23, 25-13, 25-23.

“Belle Plaine is a very good team. They’ve got some players that are very skilled,” Marshall head coach Dan Westby said. “Our players showed a lot of discipline in the match, especially on defense. Belle Plaine put a lot of pressure on us and our kids hung in there and made plays when we needed them.”

Reese Drake and Laurel Ryks led the Tigers with 16 and 10 kills respectively. After Brooke Gillingham was injured in the Tigers’ season-opener on Friday, Avery Fahl and Kezlyn Pinckney stepped up into the setting role with 16 and 18 set assists respectively. Pinckney also added 13 digs and a pair of service aces while Fahl finished with nine kills.

In the back row, libero Kyah Pinckney led the team with 21 digs while Drake, Fahl and Makia Radtke each added another 16.

As a team, Marshall committed three service errors on 82 attempts, a 96% success rate.

Marshall, 2-0, will host New Ulm tonight at 7:15 p.m. for its home opener. New Ulm enters the match at 0-1 on the season after it dropped 3-1 against Luverne on Saturday.

No. 4 RTR 3, B.O.L.D. 0

NEW PRAGUE –The Russell-Tyler-Ruthton volleyball team claimed its second consecutive-straight-sets victory to start the season on Saturday afternoon when it claimed a 25-16, 25-17, 25-17 win over B.O.L.D.

Ava Guida led the Knights to victory on the day. Her 11 kills and five blocks were both team-highs.

Ava Karbo, Brezlyn Buchert and Dilyn Werkman each added another three blocks. Karbo also tied Sara Thooft for third on the team in kills with eight each, trailing Guida’s 11 and Paisley Thooft’s nine.

Buchert was the team’s primary facilitator on the day with 21 set assists while Dru Ellefson added another nine.

In the back row, libero Avery Schreurs finished with 14 digs while Laken Baartman and Sara Thooft added another nine and six respectively. Each of the three also logged a service ace.

The Knights will have a big test tonight when they host No. 3 Minneota (1-0 at 7:15 p.m. The Knights and Vikings met in the Section 3A Championship each of the last two seasons, with Minneota winning in 2022 en route to a state title before RTR did the same in 2023.

ACGC 3, Dawson-Boyd 1

DAWSON — The Dawson-Boyd volleyball team couldn’t steal away a victory in its season-opener against Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City on Monday night. The Falcons ended their four-game losing skid to open the season with a 25-12, 28-25, 25-18, 25-17 win over the Blackjacks.

Bailey Bothun finished the night with 12 digs and 11 set assists for the Blackjacks, both team-highs. Matti Gruwell also added nine assists while Kylar Hjelmeland and Lindsey Lund each tallied eight digs.

In the front row, Reese Johnson led the team with 10 digs while Lund and Addy Tufto each contributed another four.

Ryan Plessner recorded a solo block and two assisted blocks at the net while Johnson added a pair of assisted blocks and Bothun, Tufto and Madalyn Wente each finished with one solo block.

The Blackjacks will look to get back in the win column on Tuesday, Sept. 3 when they host Clinton-Graceville Beardsley.