Volleyball Recap: Warner Comes Up Short in High-Profile Contest with Northwestern Area

Warner faced Northwestern Area in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Monarchs fell 3-1 to the Wildcats. The Monarchs were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Wildcats apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in September of 2024.

Warner started the match hot and won the first set, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last three. The match finished with set scores of 23-25, 25-15, 25-18, 25-23.

Despite the defeat, Warner saw an underclassman step up: freshman Keira Steger had 17 digs and three assists. Claire Bakeberg also deserves some recognition as she had her first digs of the season.

Leading Northwestern Area to victory were Tara Blachford and Mikaela Schmitt. Blachford had 18 digs and two assists, while Schmitt had eight digs and one assist. Blachford is on a roll when it comes to digs, as she's now had ten or more in each of the last three games she's played.

Warner's loss ended a seven-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 7-2. As for Northwestern Area, the victory was the sixth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 8-1.

Looking ahead, Warner will square off against Elkton/Lake Benton at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. As for Northwestern Area, they will face off against Madison at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday.