Centennial was five points from dropping the third set Friday night when coach Nicole Christensen started changing things up.
Anoka led 20-15. Christensen shuffled players back into the lineup, looking for some energy and communication. The Cougars found both.
Centennial scored the final 10 points of the set to win 25-20 and complete a 3-0 victory over Anoka. The win moved Centennial to 3-2 this season and dropped Anoka to 2-2.
“We’re not putting one person over another,” Christensen said. “In the end, it is always a team.”
Centennial had to work through some uneven stretches before pulling away. Christensen said the Cougars also fell well behind early in the first set before settling in.
“Aggressive serving for sure,” Christensen said. “We know that not all teams are good out of system, and if we can continue to keep them out of system, it helps us eventually get in system. We have some really good swings that usually can capitalize on the situation.”
Senior Aubrie Wirkkala saw the same thing from the floor.
“We’ve been working on many things that we executed during this game,” Wirkkala said. “We had some good comebacks with serving runs from teammates, like Denver at the end.”
Senior libero Denver Hogberg was part of one of those runs. Christensen said Centennial works on serving every day because of how much it can affect what happens on the other side of the net.
“When it got tight, our energy persevered and helped us get through it,” Hogberg said. “It’s a fun group of girls to play with and I love the chemistry we have.”
Centennial graduated a strong senior class from a team that went 24-9 and reached the Class 4A state tournament last fall. Christensen said one of those seniors went on to play Division I volleyball, another Division II and another Division III.
There were other changes, too. A couple of players decided not to return, leaving Christensen unsure exactly what this year’s team would look like.
What she has seen so far has surprised her.
“We’re at a better starting point than we have been in my four years here,” Christensen said.
The Cougars are young in spots, with a sophomore and two freshmen on the varsity roster. Christensen has used the early season to move players around and see how different combinations work together.
That continued Friday.
“We were so successful during this match, especially working together as a team,” junior Nora Lieser said. “It showed our comfort through different lineups and the friendships we are developing on and off the court.”
Christensen does not want substitutions viewed as punishment. Right now, she wants as many players as possible getting chances in different spots so she knows what she has when Centennial gets deeper into the season.
“I want to give everyone these opportunities to start and play, or play multiple positions, before we get into the section run,” Christensen said. “I want to know what our best chance and lineup is at the end of the season. But I have to try it all now.”
Friday gave her another look.
When Centennial fell behind in the third set, Christensen went back to players who had been out of the lineup. The communication picked up. So did the energy.
The Cougars never let Anoka score again.
“We can play more mature than some of our age shows,” Christensen said.
Centennial has made a habit of beating Anoka recently. The Cougars won all three meetings between the teams last season, including a four-set regular-season match.
Christensen is less interested in carrying over last year’s results than she is in seeing this team improve from one day to the next.
She pointed to things Centennial worked on in practice Thursday that showed up against Anoka on Friday.
“Yes, it was a win via the score,” Christensen said, “but there’s a lot of winning on our side that we practiced the day before and it showed up.”
Centennial followed a similar path last season before reaching the state tournament. Christensen wants this group to improve as the season goes on without losing the enjoyment that has shaped the early weeks.
“It’s not even like sustaining the skill,” Christensen said. “It’s sustaining their enjoyment to be in the gym.”
Christensen would still like to see Centennial start sets better, rather than having to play its way out of early deficits.
For a team still learning how all its pieces fit together, Christensen believes the foundation is already in place.