Volleyball Recap: Pine Island Takes a Loss

It was a proper cat-fight when Pine Island duked it out with Stewartville on Tuesday. The Panthers came up short against the Tigers, falling 3-0. The Panthers were not able to make up for their loss to the Tigers from their previous meeting back in September of 2024.

While Pine Island ultimately came up short, they didn't go down without a fight: they scored at least 17 points in every set they played. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-21, 25-17, 25-17.

Reagan Mittelstadt was the offensive standout of the game as she had 12 digs and three aces. She has been hot for a while, having posted ten or more digs the last 15 times she's played. Ella Theobald also deserves some recognition as she had her first block of the season.

Pine Island has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost five of their last six matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 7-7 record this season. As for Stewartville, they are on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-2 record this season.

Pine Island and Stewartville should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps Minnesota Rankings. The Panthers (ranked 135th) will meet St. Charles (ranked 279th) at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. Meanwhile, Stewartville will challenge Lake City at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday with a big rank advantage (14 vs. 293).