“We had a good season last
year and made it to the NCVF National Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky, last April.
We want to make it back to that stage but have work to do. We are missing three
starters from last year, but I believe in the players we have!” Coach Herron
commented. Players that have returned and from whom Coach Herron expects plays
to be made are as follows: OH Micah Herron—a second semester senior captain playing with
great confidence; MH Isaac Cummins—a graduate, very experienced player;
Libero/DS Brendon Wung—“in my estimation, the best libero in our division”; and RSH Steven Yates—a second year player with great physical talent that needs to be
a positive contributor. Some other players that will be counted on by Coach
Herron are as follows: Miles Herron—a very good OH from Guam who only needs seasoning; Mikey
Chai—a setter from Hawaii with a good grasp of the game; Andrew Summer—a middle
hitter who will need to fill a void; Justin Delizo—a well-skilled player who
is in contention for the setting position; and Travis Jacobs—a back-up setter and
quick defensive player.
The Pioneers came into the
match with the Huskies from MTU not having any match experience this
season . . . this being their first of the season. The NI team kept things close in
the first set and won 25–20. Set two had MTU change their rotation and gain an
advantage in a couple of positions, taking the set, 25–23. Set three had NI coming from behind late and winning, 25–22. Set four had NI get a 3–5 point
lead and lead 22–17 late. MTU rotated into their strongest rotation, and NI
stopped playing defense but held on to win, 25–23. Micah Herron led the attack
with 15 kills. Grant Chai was the leading defensive player with 12 digs and was
a steady player on serve receive. Mikey Chai set for most of the night and had
36 assists. Coach Herron summarized, “We need to prevent ‘junk points.’ We
didn’t have our match volley goggles adjusted yet so we can get better in that
aspect. We will learn to work together offensively, but defense just depends on
desire and pursuit! God provides us with ability, and we must do our best with
the opportunities presented.” The B team, coached by Mrs. Barb Herron, lost in three
games prior to the A game. There are some players with potential in this group.
The Pioneers will play
this same MTU Husky team on Thursday evening, December 2. The match will be videocast
on Northland’s website. The B match will start at 6:30, and the A team will have an 8 p.m.
start. Students and community are invited to attend.