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by Tim Kolehmainen
The BREAKDOWN
(updated 9/03/2008)
Photos of the match are available at http://photo21.dotphoto.com
GLYNDON -- Moorhead coach Char Lien understands what first-year Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton coach Tessa Tysver is going through. She's been there before. But that didn't mean the Spuds were going to reign in their attack against their nearby rivals Tuesday night.
Instead, Moorhead (3-1) rolled to a three-game sweep of the winless Rebels in their home gym, 25-18, 25-17 and 25-13.
"It's a learning exprience for them right now," admitted Tysver, who has only one senior on her roster, defensive specialist Breanne Tollefson. "We're working on communication and we're just kind of finding our spots right now."
After winning their first 31 matches before falling to St. Cloud Cathedral in last year's Class AA state semifinals, the Rebels graduated a huge senior class that included Ms. Volleyball Jennifer Lopez and Jenna Green, both All-State players.
"They've got great athletes and played awesome defense, but when things aren't going well, there isn't anybody stepping up yet," said Lien. "But I think with some more games..."
Lien experienced the same ups and downs with a young club last year, as the Spuds finished under .500 after graduating their own big senior class. She saw the inconsistencies that come with gaining varsity experience on the fly.
"Last year, we had great effort, but when it came on the court, once the wheels came off, they had no way to come together and gain confidence as a team," said Lien.
 That's been no problem so far this fall. The Spuds have won three of their first four matches, with the only loss a five-game marathon at Hopkins.
KayLani Penas, the Spuds' junior setter, is representative of the improvement. She was all over the court Tuesday night, setting, hitting and generally running the show for Moorhead.
"I'm getting a nice complete package from her," said Lien.
The Spuds also had big hitting nights from seniors Kaitlyn Rogalla (10 kills) and Kassandra Hooten. D-G-F was led by junior captain Morgan Mathison (five kills).
The Rebels have three junior captains --Mathison, Sara Anderson and Lindsay Thompson --all of whom played on last year's state tournament team. They're the veterans of a very young team.
"I don't think you ever replace two All-Staters, but it's just working to find how your team plays best," said Tysver, who has been pleased with her team's serving and hitting. "It's just putting everything together."
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