Brookings volleyball holds off Mitchell in five-set win

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BROOKINGS – The Brookings volleyball team picked up a victory on Tuesday night, using a fast start and a team effort to defeat Mitchell in a five-set thriller.

The Bobcats came out strong in the first set building a 20-13 lead. Although the Kernels responded to tie the first set at 20, a timeout refocused the Bobcats and helped them hang on for a 25-22 victory.

“I just tell them to relax,” Brookings head coach Sammy Miller said. “They just kind of get frustrated and they try to shut down and I tell them we’re fine, [to] relax, calm down, hit the reset button, go back out and play your game.”

The Bobcats’ momentum carried over into the second set where Brookings took a 10-3 lead before earning a 25-19 victory. Miller credited the early start to great communication, which is something that her team has been working on this season.

“That definitely built some momentum for the girls there,” Miller said. “It was really fun to see them come out like that. I think we’re starting to click along here more and more and that’s exciting to see.”

Mitchell fought back in the third set, using a fast start of their own to fuel a 25-15 victory. The Bobcats and Kernels battled to a 19-19 tie in the fourth set before Mitchell used a 6-2 run to win 25-21 and set up a decisive fifth set.

“I think it just came down to we had to come together as a team,” Miller said of Michell’s rally. “We needed to show what we were made of and that’s what they did.”

The final set went back and forth until Brookings pulled ahead for a 9-7 lead. From there, the Bobcats took advantage of their opportunities to win the final set 15-10 and pick up a victory that should build some confidence moving forward.

“I think the big thing was that they came together as one,” Miller said. “We didn’t have as many down moments as we normally see in a game and that was awesome. Their team bonding is really starting to show in how we come together, how we communicate and work together. That’s a big deal in volleyball.”

The Bobcats had a stellar individual effort from Tayla Dobrenski, who had 15 of Brookings’ 51 kills on the night. Gracie Adamson also pitched in with 27 assists, 15 digs, 12 kills, five aces and three blocks on the night while Morgan Linstad collected 21 digs in the victory.

Brookings will look to continue its momentum when it travels to Huron on Thursday night.