ABOVE: Martin County West's Maddie Carlson spikes the ball past the outstretched arms of two Sleepy Eye hitters during Monday night's match in Trimont.

TRIMONT – The Martin County West Mavericks volleyball team fended off a late Sleepy Eye rally in the third set to eventually earn its 17th win of the year and cap off the regular season on a high note.

Winning 25-13, 25-12, 24-26, 25-18, the Mavericks used their hot start to rally past the Indians in what ended up being a close finish in the Tomahawk-Valley Conference crossover match.

Maddie Carlson led all MCW (17-6) players in kills with 13 while picking up 15 digs in the process. Emily Schettler was once again the team leader in set assists at 34. Finally, Rowan Faber was the digs leader for MCW with 24.

Sleepy Eye (5-16) was led by Sam Price’s 19 kills.

MCW got off to an early lead over Sleepy Eye in set one of the night, using back-to-back aces from Brynlee Haukoos to take an early 3-0 lead. The Mavericks continued this surge with a 7-point run powered by kills from Carlson, Jaylee Hanson, and Haukoos to extend the cushion to 12-3.

A pair of spikes from Price kept the Indians in the set, but the lead was too much to come back from. Schettler finished things off for the Mavericks with a block at the net that sealed the first set.

The second set was much of the same, with MCW setting the tone early and stretching the lead too far out of reach for their opponent. Taking advantage of a handful of out-of-bounds and net-hitting shots from Sleepy Eye, the Mavericks burst out to an early 10-3 lead.

With MCW leading 19-12 following a spike from Sleepy Eye’s Makayla Strong, the Mavericks notched 6 consecutive points to close out the second set, with Sydney Clow scoring three straight aces to finish things off ultimately.

It wasn’t until Set 3 that Sleepy Eye was able to get into a rhythm on the court, getting out to an early 5-0 lead behind four kills from Strong.

MCW was able to bounce back later in the set to make things interesting. Spikes from Bailey Anderson and Carlson, followed by a hit net by Sleepy Eye, cut the lead to 17-15.

The Mavericks took the set lead later on when facing a 22-19 deficit. Generated off a tap-over kill by Haukoos, MCW rattled off three more points to take the advantage for the first time this set.

A spike from Destiney Dittbenner evened things up at 24 as the Indians faced match point. At the next rally, Jace Schauman was able to dig a spike out for Sleepy Eye, setting up Hannah Meyer for a net crossing dig that eventually hit the hardwood.

Price and Jaelynn Schauman finished things off with a block at the net to secure the final point of the set to extend the match.

The fourth set picked up immediately with an intense energy from both sides, with MCW and Sleepy Eye each exchanging points in the early moments of play.

MCW picked up some early separation after a 4-point surge was capped off by a spike from Hanson, taking a quick 9-5 lead.

A kill from Strong brought the Maverick lead to 12-11, but this was the closest the set ended up being the rest of the way. Six consecutive points from MCW pushed the lead even further and brought the sight of victory in their eyes. It was Carlson who was able to help her team pull away, gathering three kills in that stretch, all coming from high-flying spikes.

“She [Maddie] is a really good go-to for us,” MCW head coach Kayla Zehms said after the match. “She’s also a good person to be like, ‘Hey, this shot is open,’ or ‘Hey, hit me in the back row.’ Knowing the game, she’s had the experience on the varsity level for a while, and that does help us out.”

Zehms’ team finished the set scoring the last 4 points to take the match victory, with consecutive kills from Bailey Larson proving the be the final blow to Sleepy Eye’s hopes for an upset.

The Mavericks’ 2025 season continues next Monday against Mountain Lake Area in the first round of the Section 2A Volleyball Tournament. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m. in Trimont.