Weekend Sports Roundup: Aug. 29, 2021

Addison Gerber had 27 set assists and went 21-for-21 from the service line with three aces to help the Worthington Trojans volleyball team beat Waseca 3-1 on Saturday at the Big South Showcase in St. James. Game scores were 22-25, 25-16. 26-24, 25-8.

Madison Beckmann had 11 kills and Tarren Spartz and Ellie Weg each had seven kills, respectively, for the Trojans, who are now 1-1 on the season. Spartz also went 13-for-16 serving with five aces and added nine digs, and Weg was 17-for-18 with one ace. Brooklyn Sheitel-Taylor and Spartz also contributed three blocks apiece.

The Trojans will host Austin on Tuesday night.

Elsewhere in high school volleyball Saturday, it was: Windom 3, Fairmont 0; Luverne 3, New Ulm 1; Pipestone 3, Blue Earth 0; and Jackson County Central 3, St. James 0. At the Adrian-Ellsworth Tournament, it was Martin County West 2, Hills-Beaver Creek 1; Adrian-Ellsworth 2, Central MN Christian 1; Hills-Beaver Creek 2, Adrian-Ellsworth 0; Adrian-Ellsworth 2, Martin County West 0; and Central MN Christian 2, Hills-Beaver Creek 0.

In high school girls soccer Saturday, Worthington traveled to Garretson, South Dakota on Saturday and dropped an 8-0 decision. WHS will next play Tuesday at St. Peter.

In high school girls tennis, Worthington hosted a doubles tournament on Saturday. Luverne came out on top by tallying 200 total points, while the Trojans placed second with 153 points. Pipestone took third, while Yellow Medicine East was fourth. WHS next plays Tuesday at Sleepy Eye.

On the gridiron, Minnesota West was on the road for its season opener on Saturday and fell to Minnesota State-Fergus Falls 43-18. The Bluejays led 18-15 at halftime, thanks in part to a Kwesi Hooks interception and 74-yard TD pass from Brock Starley to Ian Stamer. Minnesota West also picked up a safety in the second quarter, but was blanked on the scoreboard in the second half.

The Minnesota West volleyball also competed over the weekend at the Crossover Tournament at Anoka Ramsey. The Lady Jays topped Northland 3-0 (25-21, 25-9, 25-17), defeated Rainy River 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-14), lost 3-1 to Central Lakes (25-18, 20-25, 15-25, 14-25) and blanked Mesabi 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-23). Minnesota West Brittany McNab said it was a good start to the season.

"I think we got comfortable in a slower-paced game," McNab said. "We'd have a lead, then get stuck standing on our heels and let them back in. We struggled with our serve-receive in that aspect.

"In our loss to Central Lakes, we were constantly trying to play defense, as we continued to give them every opportunity to play offense -- and they sure did. Hopefully, we can learn from our defensive and communication breakdowns this weekend as we head to Riverland on Wednesday."

Meanwhile, the high school football season opened on Friday in Iowa. Area scores include: Sioux Center 31, Sheldon 0; Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley 35, Central Lyon/George-Little Rock 7; MOC-Floyd Valley 13, Sibley-Ocheyedan 12; North Union-Armstrong 21, Okoboji 20; West Sioux-Hawarden 73, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn 21; and Spirit Lake 27, Spencer 13.