Listen to this story
Audio reading for accessibility.
Ready to play.
Table of Contents
Hermantown stayed competitive throughout Tuesday night’s volleyball home match against Esko, but the visitors consistently made the finishing plays and handed the Hawks a 25-20, 25-18, 25-20 nonconference loss.
The defeat dropped Hermantown to 1-1 overall but did nothing to change an encouraging start in the Lake Superior Conference.
The Hawks are 1-0 in conference play and tied with Proctor for first place in the early LSC standings. Proctor is also 1-0 in league play and 4-1 overall.
Hermantown opened its season Aug. 27 by sweeping Duluth Marshall in three sets, giving the Hawks their conference victory. Tuesday’s match against Esko presented a substantially tougher test, but Hermantown remained within striking distance in each set.
Junior setter Kylee Stokke directed the Hawks’ offense with 23 assists and also contributed three blocks, tying Esko setter Maya Johnson for the match high in blocks. Johnson finished with 28 assists.
Junior Audra Schott led Hermantown with seven kills, while junior Lilah Conley continued to establish herself as one of the Hawks’ most important defensive players with 18 digs.
Esko’s Kennadi DeBondt led the match with 22 digs. Maren Bailey led Esko in kills, although a final kill total was not provided.
The statistics provided another early indication of where Hermantown’s strength may lie this season.
Stokke has emerged as the organizer of an offense with several potential attacking options. Schott provided the Hawks’ most productive night at the net Tuesday, while Conley’s 18 digs reinforced the all-around value she brings to the lineup.
Hermantown coach Jessica Williams entered the season with an experienced junior and senior group after relying heavily on younger players a year ago.
Among the players expected to carry larger roles are Stokke, Conley and Schott, along with senior outside hitter Evie Nelson. Stokke gives Hermantown experience at setter, Schott provides size and attacking potential in the middle, and Conley can influence matches both offensively and defensively.
That developing core will get plenty of opportunities to prove itself over the next seven weeks.
The next test comes quickly.
Princeton visits Hermantown at 7 p.m. Thursday in a matchup that carries added importance because the Tigers are a Section 7AAA opponent. Early September matches do not decide postseason races, but they can provide an important measuring stick for teams that could see each other again in October.
Hermantown then travels to Duluth East for a 7 p.m. match Sept. 8 before returning home Sept. 10 for what already shapes up as one of its most important early Lake Superior Conference matches.
Proctor visits Hermantown that night at 7.
With Hermantown and Proctor both 1-0 in conference play entering this week, their first meeting offers an early opportunity for one of them to create separation near the top of the standings.
The Hawks then begin a stretch of five road matches among their next six dates.
Hermantown visits Greenway on Sept. 15 and Hibbing on Sept. 17 before returning home to face Superior on Sept. 22. Duluth Denfeld comes to Hermantown on Sept. 24.
The Hawks close September with a Sept. 29 road match against Rock Ridge.
October will provide another demanding stretch.
Hermantown visits Hopkins for a 6 p.m. match Oct. 1, then hosts Grand Rapids at 7 p.m. Oct. 6. The regular-season schedule listed for the Hawks concludes Oct. 20 with a 7 p.m. match at Cloquet, another important Lake Superior Conference opponent.
Those conference matches will ultimately provide a better measure of Hermantown’s progress than Tuesday’s nonconference loss.
The Hawks have already accomplished one important early objective by beating Marshall and opening Lake Superior Conference play 1-0.
Now comes the difficult part — building on it.
Tuesday showed Hermantown has several pieces capable of doing that. Stokke distributed 23 assists and contributed at the net. Schott supplied seven kills. Conley kept rallies alive with 18 digs.
Esko was better at finishing sets.
Hermantown’s opportunity to respond comes Thursday night against Princeton, followed one week later by a home match against Proctor that could provide the first significant indication of whether the Hawks are ready to contend for the Lake Superior Conference championship.