Martin County West continues to win
The Mavericks victory moves their record to 11-1
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GRANADA - The Martin County West volleyball team simply continues to dominate. After dropping their first loss of 2026 to Murray County Central at last weekend’s Hummel Invite, the Mavericks (11-1) bounced back with a big win over Granada Huntley East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther (0-10). MCW's 25-11, 25-12, 25-15 victory marked its seventh three-set sweep this season.
"They've been playing great," first-year Martin County West head coach Kari Brolsma said. "I was trying to get a lot of kids in, and we all played together so well. They've been playing together for so long that they just adjust. It's awesome to see."
Everything stemmed from the Maverick front row. Maddie Carlson, Jaylee Hanson and Bailey Larson each made their presence felt to start set one. The tone carried through from the opening serve to the final point.
Carlson, Hanson and Larson collected points that aided MCW's initial lead. Rowan Faber's second ace of the rally pushed her team up 10-1 and forced Jaguars head coach TJ Williams to call a quick timeout.
A pair of outside hits from GHEC/T/ML's Vienna Thomas and Ashlynn Dirks helped cut the deficit to 15-7. The closest it got in set one. But Larson's middle tap down was followed by a Brynlee Haukoos ace and another Carlson kill. Hanson finished the first match point with a spike over the middle.
The home team Jaguars kept the next two sets close early on. A kill from Meredith Miller was followed by a handful of mistakes from Maverick hitters, including an out-of-bounds hit by Haukoos that inched the Jaguars down to 10-9. Each time that Williams' team clawed back, MCW responded with a strong run of their own.
Consecutive aces from Emma Geldart kicked off nine straight Maverick points. A surge that sealed set two. Carlson collected two more powerful kills, and Hanson ended things with a sealing spike over the middle.
"When you have a middle like Jaylee [Hanson], Bailey [Larson] and even Giana [Chase], and they can put the ball down hard, it really gives your team some momentum," Brolsma said. "I mean, they were just so excited for each other."
Kyana Thomas closed a mini GHEC/T/ML scoring run after blocking a spike and picking up an ace. Her team's disadvantage was just 20-15 during set three. However, Brolsma's squad once again closed the set with fireworks. Sydnee Borchardt and Giana Chase collected a pair of spikes before Carlson's 16th kill of the night clinched MCW's victory.
Hanson matched Carlson with double-digit kills after collecting 10. Ida Rohman and Chase each had three kills, with Rohman leading the team in set assists with 30. Haukoos had a Maverick-high 10 digs. Rohman had seven, and Carlson had five.
For GHEC/T/ML, Willow Singleton notched 17 digs. Kyana Thomas recorded three kills and one block. Addison Barrick had seven set assists.
Both MCW and GHEC/T/ML continue their respective seasons this Thursday. The Mavericks will host Mankato Loyola in Trimont, while the Jaguars travel to Madelia. Both contests are set to start at 7:00 p.m.