LANGDON — The No. 8 Langdon Area/Munich volleyball team took care of business Tuesday night on its home floor.
The Cardinals (13-3, 2-0) won in straight sets over Benson County (12-3, 1-1). The Wildcats had at least one spurt of energy in each set, but LA/M fended them off each time. Boosted by a particularly jaw-dropping shot by Hilary Haaven in the first set, the Cardinals leapt and swung their way to victory.
“We feel like we’ve got five girls in the lineup that can get us a kill at any given time,” LA/M head coach Rich Olson said. “We had some struggles in service-receive at times, where we let team balls beat us up, and didn’t pass like we would like to pass, or like we know we can pass. But all in all, I think we had a good match tonight. Kind of set the tone with our serve, and I thought we were aggressive there.”
Set 1: Langdon Area/Munich 25, Benson County 15 (1-0 Cardinals)
Haaven nearly ended up in the student section.
After the Cardinals narrowly kept the point alive with two hits, it almost seemed like a lost cause with the ball tumbling towards the corner of the gym. But Haaven sprinted, extended her arms and hit the ball calmly but forcefully, sending it flying in a miraculous arc over the to the other side of the net. Gasps filled the room as the ball traveled, and the crowd roared with applause when it landed successfully.
“That’s one of the best plays I’ve seen in this gym, and I’ve been here for 25 years,” Olson said. “That ball, she was almost out in the hallway when she saved that. And she barely got it over, and then they didn’t know what to do.”
It was this play that recaptured the momentum for LA/M in what turned out to be a dominant set. The Cardinals led 8-4 before allowing five straight points. They made sloppy errors, and Benson County’s Aubrey Kenner hit back-to-back kills. The Wildcats had a brief 9-8 lead.
And, with Benson County on the cusp of extending that lead, Haaven’s heroics helped even the set. The Cardinals went on to win five straight of their own, and they never trailed again.
“It kind of energized us,” Olson said. “When you make a play like that, you think for sure you’re gonna lose the rally, and all of a sudden you win the rally. And we were just a little bit flat at that time. Weren’t playing our best.”
With the set as close as 14-12, LA/M went on a 9-0 rampage to put it away. Along with Aubrey Badding, Meredith Romfo shined with multiple kills in that span. Romfo, now a senior, is a four-sport athlete and the sister of University of North Dakota quarterback Simon Romfo. She was a crucial hitter for the Cardinals all night.
“She’s a sweetheart. She’s just a great kid to coach,” Olson said. “A gritty performer day in and day out… Her hitting efficiency was very good tonight from the outside hitter position.”
A kill by Badding finished off the set. She was another pesky force in the middle all night.
“We’ve kind of tweaked and worked with her; she hasn’t played middle before at the varsity level,” Olson said of the sophomore Badding. “She’s learning that position, and it’s a lot of work… Does a lot of good things, but a lot of it’s just the little intangibles and stuff that she needs to get better at, that she’s been working on. I thought tonight she made some strides.”
Set 2: Langdon Area/Munich 25, Benson County 21 (2-0 Cardinals)
The teams traded points all the way until 6-6, when LA/M rattled off four straight.
The Cardinals remained in fairly consistent control, leading the set by as much as 19-11. But the Wildcats got into a groove, winning eight of the next nine points to make it a one-point set.
Leading only 20-19, LA/M took a timeout.
“Hey, just take a deep breath,” Olson said of what he told his team. “We let ‘em have a few. We had a couple that could have ended that run… Just go out and make the next play — that’s what you say in that situation.”
The Cardinals won the first point after the break, but after committing a service error, they had a complete miscommunication on a ball in the air. The momentary lapse allowed Benson County to tie it at 21-21.
But the Cardinals didn’t fold under the pressure. They did a swift job taking care of the rest of the set, winning the final four points with Benson County looking discombobulated and outmatched. After nearly letting the set slip away and having to deal with a tied match, LA/M had a commanding 2-0 lead.
Set 3: Langdon Area/Munich 25, Benson County 15 (3-0 Cardinals)
Despite a late run from Benson County, the majority of the final set was the most lopsided of the night.
After losing the first point, LA/M won the next eight. Benson County got two back, but the Cardinals took the next four. It was a versatile, dominant start for LA/M, with strong and deep shots from Badding, Romfo and Taya Feist.
After a kill by Haaven put the Cardinals up 16-5, Benson County won four straight. The Wildcats, aided by a few errors, tried to claw their way back in it. LA/M was also called for illegal contact, which made it as close as 17-12.
But then the next seven points went to the Cardinals, and the night was all but over. Haaven and Romfo, in particular, came up big. Back-to-back errors gave the Wildcats a brief hint of life, but Badding won the match with a kill.
And so the Cardinals continue on, having won both of their region matches and raised their record to 13-3. They’ll be back in action on the road against another region opponent, Dunseith, on Thursday around 7 p.m.
“Just focus in practice every day. Focus on getting better,” Olson said. “That’s what’s impressed me the most about ‘em: They love being around each other. They play hard for each other. And they’re focused on being the best they can be.”
