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Area Female Athlete: Chemistry key to Glenz, Verndale success

Morgan Glenz had a stellar season last year with lots of kills and digs and no fun. This year, Glenz and her six Verndale Pirates teammates, four of whom are fellow seniors, decided fun needed to be added to the volleyball season. The result is l...

Morgan Glenz
Morgan Glenz

 

Morgan Glenz had a stellar season last year with lots of kills and digs and no fun.

This year, Glenz and her six Verndale Pirates teammates, four of whom are fellow seniors, decided fun needed to be added to the volleyball season.

The result is lots of kills and digs and fun and wins.

Team chemistry was a big issue for the Pirates last season and it resulted in a 10-16 season and an early exit in the Section 5-1A playoffs. This season, the Pirates enter the playoffs with a 16-10 record and hopes for a postseason run.

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While Glenz's play is one reason for the optimism, her leadership and that of her fellow seniors is a bigger reason.

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Morgan Glenz

  • Year: Senior
  • School: Verndale
  • Sport: Volleyball
  • Position: Outside hitter
  • Highlights: Finished with 48 kills, 28 digs and an ace serve in two wins last week

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"Last year, we went through some hard stuff and broke apart," Glenz said. "We grew up individually. We all realized that we needed to mature and get over things and that we needed each other.

"That really helped us jell together on the volleyball court when we forgive each other and became friends again. I think it's really important to be friends with your teammates on and off the court. We really focused on being good teammates because we didn't like how last year went."

The varsity veteran put added pressure on herself last season to be a leader. Having two older sisters that dominated the volleyball court and a mother who is the head coach made Glenz feel like she needed to do more than she really did.

"Last year, that was really hard for me because I felt I had so much on my shoulders and the expectations everyone had for me to follow in my sisters' footsteps," Morgan Glenz said. "I tried to live up to my mother's expectations that I thought she had for me.

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"It was really hard because I thought everyone was looking up to me to lead, but I had a lot of conversations with people and they helped me realize I am my own player. I can be a leader, but I also needed to not take the whole burden of it on. My other two captains have really stepped up and it's a relief knowing I have other people there."

Glenz shouldered a big load in two wins last week.

In the Pirates' 3-0 victory over Browerville/Eagle Valley, Glenz tallied 17 kills, eight digs and one ace serve Oct. 8.

In a crucial Park Region Conference match against the Henning Hornets Oct. 11, Glenz powered the Pirates to a 3-2 win thanks to 31 kills, 20 digs, a block and a set assist.

It was Verndale's fifth-straight win.

"Against Henning, I just went out with the mentality that I needed to get kills in order for us to score and that's what I did I guess," Morgan Glenz said.

Verndale head coach and Morgan's mother Shelley Glenz said the match was close the entire time.

"She was our go-to obviously and when we needed a kill we went to Morgan," Shelley Glenz said. "I don't even remember her stats that game. You get a lot of stats when the games are close for all five. She's a go-to.

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"She's only 5-foot-6. I've never measured her vertical jump, but I'm sure it's pretty high. She jumps high and she's very explosive. She uses everything she has to get up in the air. She just has to do that. She's always been that way. She's definitely improved on reading the block and hitting around the block well. She's doing well with that this year and she's developed her power tip. She has a lot of tools in her bag to adjust. She has to adjust because she's so short."

The Pirates couldn't keep the momentum going as they fell to New York Mills Oct. 16. A win would have tied Verndale for the conference crown, but Verndale fell 3-0 despite Glenz posting 15 kills, 12 digs and one block.

She added 44 kills, 72 digs a set assist and two ace serves during the Underwood Tournament Oct. 18 where the Pirates finished second.

Glenz is on pace to surpass her numbers from a year ago when she finished with 442 kills, 390 digs, five set assists, seven blocks and 33 ace serves. More importantly, she and her teammates are creating a year to remember.

"This group of five seniors has always been really tight growing up," Shelley Glenz said. "It's always been these five. They've been best friends for years. Last year, they had some chemistry problems and they saw how it can affect a season. Right from day one this season, these girls have been committed to having good chemistry and it's really paid off with how they are playing.

"As a coach and as a parent, you just step back and let them learn and last year we learned a lot of lessons that will help us this year and they have. They had the same talent last year, but their record wasn't good. We are doing so much better purely because of our team chemistry."

 

Other notable performances:

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Sport: Kira Sweeney, Staples-Motley, won the Mid-State Conference title in 19:28.1

Swimming and diving: Rachel Josephson, Little Falls, won the 50- and 100-yard freestyles against Sartell and won the same two events against Milaca.

Tennis: Morgan Mudgett-Megan Muller, Pequot Lakes, won the South Subsection 7-1A doubles title.

Volleyball: Jade Porter, Pierz, finished with 22 digs, 15 kills and three ace serves against Osakis.

Rylie Hirschey, Pine River-Backus, finished with 31 set assists and 10 digs against Pillager and 38 set assists, seven ace serves and four digs against Blackduck and 119 set assists, 30 digs and four ace serves at the Big Axe Tournament.

Britt Kratochvil, Pequot Lakes, finished with 15 kills, 13 digs and three blocks against Thief River Falls.

Alix Peterson, Staples-Motley, finished with 20 digs, 12 kills and a set assist against Pelican Rapids and 21 kills, 20 digs and four blocks against Staples-Motley.

Ramsey Moe, Aitkin, finished with 23 kills and five digs against Staples-Motley.

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Kerstin Knopik, Little Falls, finished with 18 kills, four digs, eight ace serves and three blocks against Foley.

Covering the Brainerd lakes area sports scene for the past 23 years.

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