RUGBY — On a warm Tuesday evening in the geographical center of North America on Tuesday, the North Star volleyball team won a thriller to start its season. It was a 3-1 triumph, including an intense 29-27 victory in the second set. The Bearcats fended off a third-set loss, going on to pounce the Panthers and start their season 1-0.
“It feels really good to get the win,” North Star head coach Kirstin Ahlberg said. “It was really nice to just get to play a game, because it’s been such a long two weeks.”
Right at the center of it was 6-foot-4 junior Anna Bessonova. She moved to Cando with her mom about a year ago from Ukraine, following her sister, who’s been in North Dakota for eight years.
“We just came here because it’s war in Ukraine right now,” Bessonova said. “And yeah, for safety.”
And she shined, especially as the match wore on. Her tall stature naturally played into numerous kills, as she worked cohesively with players like Rogue Stephens, Annabelle Staus, Karlee Gefroh, Mattea Wanzek and Claire Weber.
“This was my first varsity game, and it was really, really good,” Bessonova said. “I’m just enjoying this moment, and I’m so happy. I’m crying right now.”
The Bearcats came out shaky in each of the first two sets, falling behind 4-0 in the first and 5-0 in the second. Each time, North Star battled back to win it. It was a tougher test this year for the Bearcats, who beat these same Panthers 3-0 at the beginning of last season. North Star is coming off a 17-6 campaign, while Rugby went just 4-17. This year’s teams were clearly a closer match for each other.
“I think the best thing about our team is that we stayed positive, and we don’t get down on ourselves,” Ahlberg said. “Obviously, we don’t want to start out in a hole, but I think because we don’t get down, and we stay confident and trust each other, that keeps us in the game.”
Set 1: North Star 25, Rugby 19 (1-0 North Star)
Rugby came out looking like a resilient and confident club. Its hitters made impressive saves that kept points alive and outlasted North Star.
So the Bearcats had to claw their way back in. Rugby’s first error got North Star on the board, and Bessonova hit one just inside the line to make it 4-2.
Rugby held steady to build an 8-4 lead, but the Bearcats grew more comfortable as time went on. Bessonova continued to use her 6-foot-4 frame to overwhelm the Panthers, and Rugby’s pristine consistency from the beginning started to wear off.
North Star tied it at 8-8 before before Rugby took the next two points.
A four-point surge boosted the Bearcats ahead 16-13, including back-to-back kills by Bessonova. Rugby got it as close as 19-18, but North Star never relinquished its lead and took the first set.
Bessonova’s aggressiveness proved pivotal.
“She has grown immensely with her communication,” Ahlberg said. “And her confidence level has been great.”
Set 2: North Star 29, Rugby 27 (2-0 North Star)
If a 4-0 deficit seemed like an unideal way to start the first set, the Panthers one-upped them in the second with a 5-0 lead.
Gefroh found a perfect angle from the outside to get North Star on the board, but the early goings of the set still belonged to Rugby. The Panthers had a lead as large as 9-2.
But just as quickly as Rugby acquired control, it lost its rhythm and became inconsistent. North Star won seven of the next eight points to get within a 10-9 margin, then tied it at 12-12 on a miscommunication where the Panthers let the ball drop in no-man’s land.
“We just started more enjoying this game,” Bessonova said. “Like get really good, happy emotions.”
It was even, until another four-point run from the Bearcats put them ahead 18-15. The teams traded 3-0 runs, with Rugby tying it at 19-19 and North Star going ahead 22-19. Stephens and Staus came up with strong shots, but the Panthers stayed slick and found openings.
With North Star up 23-20, on the precipice of finishing the second set much the way it did the first, Rugby scored four straight and suddenly had a set point. The Panthers dove and made some fantastic saves, eventually outpacing the Bearcats and getting them to overhit it.
But North Star stayed alive. Jorie Ahlberg had a nice recovery while on the floor, and North Star went up 25-24. That began a mini seesaw match, as each team fought off a pair of set points. The crowd grew progressively louder, living and dying with every kill and error.
“I was thinking about, ‘I’m ready to play five sets,’” Bessonova said. “‘If we need to, I will play five sets.’”
Bessonova found a short opening and slammed it down to put North Star up 28-27. Rugby bailed the Bearcats out on the last point, deflecting a shot that would have gone out of bounds.
The Panthers looked stunned on their sideline.
Set 3: Rugby 25, North Star 14 (2-1 North Star)
Minutes after the tension from the second set subsided, North Star began a set with a lead for the first time on a kill by Bessonova.
Yet still, nothing came easily. Rugby took three straight points to go ahead 4-2, then built its lead all the way up to 10-4. After the Bearcats narrowed it to 12-9, things began to unravel for North Star. Big saves and well-placed shots helped the Panthers rattle off six straight, putting North Star in an 18-9 hole.
The Bearcats ended the skid with four in a row, but the Panthers shot right back with four of their own. Rugby handily took the set 25-14, winning it on back-to-back long rallies and a soft tap that finished the job, despite some strong attacks from Stephens.
“They were really, really hot, because it’s so hot in here,” Ahlberg said, referring to the lack of air conditioning in Rugby’s gym. “So just to try to remind them of little things, of how to adjust, and just to keep fighting and not give up was the most important part.”
Set 4: North Star 25, Rugby 22 (3-1 North Star)
For the third time, the Bearcats started in a hole.
And for the third time, they won.
It was just a 2-0 gap this time, but Rugby still carried leads of 6-3 and 9-7. North Star went on a 5-0 run that included a kill from Wanzek, but Rugby responded with a whopping 7-0 run. The Bearcats just started getting sloppy. And they trailed 16-12, nine points away from having to play a fifth set.
But North Star won six of the next seven points to go ahead 18-17. The teams stayed even until 19-19, when three straight points sent the Bearcats ahead 22-19. They could finally taste victory. Bessonova showed some versatility, hitting a defensive side shot that fell in the perfect place.
“I did a really good job,” Bessonova said. “I have some stuff to work on — but yeah, teamwork, more talking, more progress so I can improve my skills, and it’ll be great.”
A kill by Staus won the set and the match, despite a solid effort from Rugby. The Bearcats could finally get some rest, drink some water and settle in for the 50-minute bus ride back to Cando.
And now they have an undefeated record to try to defend in their next match.
“I want to keep continuing working on our fundamentals, and just learning how each of us works with each other so there’s different passes together,” Ahlberg said. “And to trust each other more. And that all comes from playing with each other a lot. So that’s how you get better.”
