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The Lady Dragon volleyball team lines up prior to a match at the regional tournament Saturday, Nov. 9, in Del Norte. Players are pictured from left, Chloie Metzger, Emily Jelden, Tamara Penzing, Yeidi Juarez, Erin Andersen, Kristin Vieselmeyer, Grace Roberts, Sabryn Burris, Elise Krogmeier, Aspyn Kinnie, Kyleigh Jaeger, Josie Herman and Kylie Purkeypile.

Tiebreaker is heartbreaker

Del Norte ends Holyoke’s season after regional 3-way tie

For Holyoke High School volleyball, the drought continues. The team hasn’t been to the state tournament since 2000, but they sure came close this year.

The Lady Dragons found themselves in a three-way tie at the 2A regional tournament Saturday, Nov. 9, but host team Del Norte edged them out of a state berth in the tiebreaker.

“The three teams were equally matched,” said coach Michelle Vieselmeyer, noting what a great experience it was for the young Holyoke team.

“I’m so proud of how far they’ve come,” she said. “There’s been major improvement this season, especially for the freshmen. Next year’s going to be exciting!”

Holyoke was ranked No. 26 heading into regionals, and they upset No. 11 Del Norte in the first match of the day in a quick three-set win.

Vieselmeyer said the girls played the best they had all season. “We took them by surprise. I think they overlooked us,” she said.

Following that game was Holyoke vs. Swink, who was ranked No. 14. The Dragons won the first set, but Swink took the next three to win the match.

Vieselmeyer said HHS played competitively, but they were getting frustrated not to mention tired after seven sets in a row. Swink was fresh, and their crowd was very loud, said Vieselmeyer.

Next up, Del Norte played Swink and ended up winning in four sets. That gave all three teams one win and one loss — a three-way tie.

Out of 12 regional locations, this was the only one that went into a tiebreaker. Del Norte and Swink played one set to 25 points, and Holyoke then played the winner of that game — Del Norte — in one set to 25.

Del Norte was on a roll after beating Swink twice, and unfortunately, Holyoke had been sitting around playing the waiting game throughout the afternoon. Del Norte also had the home court advantage, said Vieselmeyer, and their crowd was very intimidating, especially to Holyoke’s underclassmen.

The Lady Dragons put up a fight, but in the end, Del Norte won the set and earned the spot at the state championship beginning this Thursday in Denver.

Including the tiebreaker, the Holyoke Lady Dragons finished their season with 14 wins and 12 losses.

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