Oakes volleyball falls in North Dakota Class B Final

It went the distance and then some, but the Tornadoes couldn’t overcome the Tommies.

Oakes had a two-sets-to-one lead in the North Dakota Class B volleyball final, but couldn’t close the door, as Thompson rallied for a five-set victory 25-20, 23-25, 13-25, 25-16, and 15-13.

After dropping the first set, the Tornadoes jumped out to a pair of five-point leads in the second set, leading 6-1 then 12-5 before closing it out to square the match at a set apiece.

Nicole Schmitz, who led Oakes with a team-high 17 kills, put down back-to-back slams, giving the Tornadoes a 13-9 lead. Marisa Garza would help close the set out with a pair of blocks, making it a 2-1 advantage.

Thompson would open with four quick points to start the fourth set and used a 6-0 run during the middle portion to take a 20-11 lead. Oakes hit a stretch of four points that went to the Tommies via errors. The Tornadoes did close the gap, getting to within five at 21-16, but Caroline Nistler came up with a huge kill off a dug ball that sent momentum back to the Thompson side and put the match into a deciding fifth set.

In the fifth, it would be Oakes to take the first lead, going on a 5-1 run to grab a 9-5 lead. The Tommies would take advantage of a couple Oakes errors and use a 4-0 run to draw within a point at 9-8. The teams then traded points, with Thompson middle hitter Macy Jordheim coming up huge late. Jordheim would record three of the Tommies’ final four points, finishing with a match-high 22 kills.

North Dakota Class B Championship

No. 2 Thompson 25-23-13-25-15

No. 4 Oakes 20-25-25-16-13