St. Bonifacius, MN — Crown volleyball wrapped up the Minneapolis Invite in style on Saturday, picking up two more straight-set wins to finish the tournament without dropping a single set.
The Polars opened the day against Trinity Bible and wasted little time setting the tone. Crown took the first set 25-19 before finding another gear over the final two frames, rolling to 25-12 and 25-13 wins to complete the sweep. As a team, the Polars totaled 33 kills in the match, with Faith Sperl directing the offense with 17 assists. Kaitlyn Drost held things down in the back row with 14 digs, while the front line made life difficult for the Lions all match long. Madilyn Smith, Lauren Burnett, and Delaney Boone combined for five blocks, helping Crown control the net and limit Trinity Bible's attack.
The momentum carried right into the second match of the day as Crown took down Spurgeon College in another three-set sweep. The Polars opened with a 25-16 win, followed it up with a 25-15 victory in set two, and closed out the tournament with a 25-20 win in the third. Crown's block party continued against the Knights, with Boone adding four more blocks and Kate Stevenson joining the front-wall effort with three of her own. Stevenson also helped guide the offense with 16 assists in an impressive all-around performance, while Lily Duquaine led the attack with 13 kills.
After opening the Minneapolis Invite with a sweep on Friday night, the Polars kept the energy rolling all the way through Saturday. Crown finished the weekend with three wins, nine straight set victories, and plenty of momentum heading into the next week.
With the wins, Crown moves to 4-3 on the season and will travel to Carleton College on Wednesday night for a 7 p.m. match.
