Nighthawks rally for three-set victory at Rock Ridge tourney

REGIONAL- The Northeast Range volleyball team found a bright spot in a busy stretch of matches Saturday, rallying from an opening-set loss to beat Deer River in three sets at the Rock Ridge tournament.
The Nighthawks dropped their first two matches at the six-team tournament, falling to Mt. Iron-Buhl 25-7, 25-19 and narrowly losing to South Ridge 26-24, 25-23. But NER rebounded against Deer River, taking a 9-25, 25-22, 15-12 victory.
Head coach Misty Roseth said the tournament gave the Nighthawks a chance to test different combinations.
“We started slow, but it was a good day to switch up some lineups and test the waters,” Roseth said. “We ended the day with a win, and that felt good.”
Miranda Mackai was a steady presence throughout the three matches, serving 31 of 32 with 37 set assists and 22 digs. Peyson Roseth had 17 kills and 19 digs, while Chloe Janeksela added 34 digs. Kaydence Hancock contributed nine kills and 12 digs.
NER opened a stretch of five matches last Thursday with a four-set loss at Nashwauk-Keewatin, 25-11, 25-20, 23-25, 25-14. The Nighthawks cleaned up their passing to take the third set after falling behind early, Roseth said.
Jayden Gorecki led NER with seven kills and three ace serves. Hancock had six kills and eight digs, while Peyson Roseth recorded four kills and 12 digs. Janeksela led the defense with 15 digs.
The Nighthawks were back on the road Tuesday at International Falls, where they lost 25-16, 25-17, 25-20. While the Broncos won in straight sets, NER improved its point total in each set.
Peyson Roseth led the Nighthawks with seven kills and seven digs, while Mackai had 15 digs and 11 set assists. Hancock added five kills, and Janeksela had six digs.
“The potential is there,” Roseth said. “We have players growing each game. We need to focus on the offense and get more girls hitting the ball consistently, because when we can do that, we are on fire.”
NER was scheduled to host North Woods on Thursday.